Incompatible
by First Light of Eos
Summary: Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, “Potter and I are incompatible.” It was the only thing she and James agreed upon.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the _Harry Potter_ series.

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_INCOMPATIBLE_

PROLOGUE 

It was common knowledge in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that Lily Evans and James Potter despised each other. Ever since they had met on the platform at King's Cross Station in London to catch the Hogwarts Express, the two had been at odds. The story went that James had played some stupid prank on Lily (which no one, not even the two of them, could remember) and that the rivalry had started from there. 

At school, they had both been Sorted into Gryffindor, and excelled in their classes. The competition was especially high between them in Charms, which was Lily's forte, and Transfiguration, James' major strength; Lily's weakness was Transfiguration, while James' was Charms. Neither could stand to let the other be better than them at _anything_. This was especially taxing on their friends, who had done their best to keep the two from bickering. Nothing ever worked.

Alice Prewett, Marlene McKinnon, and Dorcas Meadowes were Lily's best friends. The four of them were all in the same year in Gryffindor, and had been friends since the first train to Hogwarts. The same went for James' friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The six of them had tried just about everything to get Lily and James to be friends, but every single one of their plans backfired. To date, they had tried at least thirty times to end the constant arguing, only succeeding in making Lily and James even greater enemies. 

Once, in exasperation, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible; we were never meant to be friends." James had, of course, concurred with this statement when Sirius told him, to the disappointment of his and Lily's friends. It was the only thing they had ever agreed on.

Their relationship worsened in Fifth Year, when Lily became a Prefect. James was the biggest troublemaker in the school, and enjoyed making life hell for the "obnoxious, stuck up pricks" that were in charge of enforcing the rules of Hogwarts. However, for some reason that none of the other Fifth Year Gryffindors could comprehend, he did not bother Lily in any way. Some supposed that it was because his friend, Remus, was also a Prefect, but their friends knew that would never stop him from tormenting Lily. 

The reason became evident when Sirius caught James doodling the initials, "L.E." upon one of his homework assignments. Soon the mission of Alice, Marlene, and Dorcas was to make Lily see James' better qualities, causing her to like him and agree to go out with him (if he should ever ask). Unfortunately, their efforts failed. The year culminated in a particularly nasty incident after the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.s, in which James asked Lily out and was consequently ripped up one side and down the other. He then decided that Lily Evans was _not_ the girl for him, and two recommenced hating each other. 

This sorry state of affairs continued until Seventh Year, when, in an apparent moment of madness, Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, decided to appoint Lily as Head Girl, and James as Head Boy. Upon hearing this news, the entire school wondered _what_ their headmaster was thinking, and waited with bated breath for September 1, when school would restart. All of them—with the exception of the Slytherins, who despised the two—hoped that their newly appointed Heads would not kill each other. However, none of them could deny that it was very likely that by the end of the first day, either Lily or James would be in the Hospital Wing. 

The morning of September 1 dawned bright and clear. To the friends of the Head Boy and Girl, it seemed as if Nature was mocking them; they were positive that the day would end in disaster for one or both of their friends.

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A/N: And that's the first chapter! I don't know if I should continue or not; if you like it, please tell me! If you see anything that needs correcting, or whatnot, tell me! Reviews are _always _nice…(hint hint) 


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the _Harry Potter _series.

**Summary:** Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible." It was the only thing she and James agreed upon. 

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**INCOMPATIBLE** CHAPTER ONE 

Lily Evans stood in front of the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten at King's Cross Station with her family. Her mother was fighting back tears as she bid farewell to her youngest daughter.

"And make sure to write," Rose Evans was saying. Her husband stood next to her, his arm wrapped around her waist, and he rolled his eyes at Lily as Rose continued. "You're sure you have everything?" 

"Yes, Mum," Lily replied exasperatedly. Her mother had asked her this at least five times in the past ten minutes. Rose opened her mouth again, presumably to continue interrogating her daughter, but her husband cut her off.

"Leave the poor girl alone, Rose," Charles Evans interrupted. "You'll worry yourself to death!" He smiled at Lily. "Take care of yourself, all right, Lily?"

"Of course, Dad," Lily replied, thanking him with a wide smile. She turned to her teary-eyed mother. "Mum, I really have to go; the train's leaving in fifteen minutes, and I want to find my friends."

"All right, dear," her mother said. "We'll miss you." She hugged her daughter. "You _are _coming home for the holidays, aren't you?"

"Yes, Mum," Lily replied. "I wouldn't miss Petty's wedding for anything." Charles looked at his daughter skeptically, noting the sarcasm in her voice as she spoke of her older sister, Petunia.

"Oh, good!" Rose said. "We'll see you then."

"Take care, Lily," her father said, hugging her. "Have a good year."

"Thanks, Dad," Lily said. "I will. See you at Christmas!" She waved to her parents, pushing her trolley towards the barrier. She walked through it, entering Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. 

The platform was swarming with Hogwarts students and their families as the children got ready to set off for the new school year. Lily could see several people she knew, and waved to them. Two boys dashed past her, yelling exuberantly.

"Didn't I tell you that would be great, Padfoot?" one of them yelled. He had messy black hair and hazel eyes that shone with mischief behind his wire-rimmed glasses. His companion, a boy with black hair that fell elegantly into his bright black eyes, laughed.

"Of course you did, Prongs," he said. "But we'd better find Moony and Wormtail; Snivellus' on our tail!"

Another boy, dressed in black Hogwarts robes with greasy black hair and a hooked nose, chased after the other two. The source of his anger was revealed when his robes swept back, revealing a small pink dress.

"Potter! Black!" he exclaimed. "Change it back!"

"Sorry, Snivellus," the bespectacled boy answered as he dashed off. "But that charm lasts for a week!" The other boy made a sound of anger and continued his pursuit. They dashed out of sight, and Lily shook her head. James Potter and Sirius Black enjoyed tormenting Severus Snape, a Slytherin boy who was James' archenemy. Her thoughts were turned from the three boys when she spotted one of her friends standing nearby.

"Alice!" she exclaimed. A blonde-haired girl, with a round, smiling face, turned to face her friend.

"Lily!" she replied, making her way through the crowd to her best friend. "Dorcas and Marlene are saving a compartment for us! Come on!" She helped Lily heave her trunk and owl cage onto the train, and they headed down the train, chatting amiably.

"So how was your summer, Lily?" Alice asked.

"It was nice, for a change," Lily replied. "Petty hardly bothered me; she's too busy trying to plan the wedding of the century. She's going to make all the bridesmaids wear _pink_." Lily shuddered. "The dresses are these horrible confections of lace and bows, and it's all hot pink." Alice nodded sympathetically.

"I bet that looks awful with your hair," she said, referring to Lily's auburn locks. 

"That's exactly why Petty chose it," Lily replied. "Mum tried to persuade her otherwise, but Petty said that if she had to let me be a bridesmaid, then we would have to wear it. She hates me, Alice, she really does." Alice noted the sadness in her friend's voice, and quickly changed the subject.

"I met Frank's family over the summer," she said, referring to her boyfriend of two years. Frank Longbottom had graduated from Hogwarts the year before, and had been in Gryffindor with them. Alice had been extremely nervous about meeting the Longbottoms when Lily had last seen her, at the end of July.

"Oh, really?" Lily asked, her attention effectively diverted from all matters concerning her sister. "How'd it go?"

"All right, I guess," Alice replied. "His mum's _scary_." Lily laughed. She had heard rumors of Mrs. Longbottom, and had gathered that she was very strict. "Frank says they liked me, though, so I guess that's a good thing."

"How are you two going to keep in touch?" Lily asked. "I mean, he's training to be an Auror now, and you're still in school."

"We're going to write to each other each week, and we've agreed to meet up at Hogsmeade weekends," Alice responded, opening the door to a compartment. "Otherwise, we'll just have to wait for Christmas and Easter holidays." There were two girls in the compartment. One had brown hair and brown eyes, and was heavily tanned. The other was pale with raven hair and bright blue eyes. 

"Lily!" the first exclaimed, rushing forward and hugging her friend. 

"Hullo, Marlene," Lily said, hugging her back. They broke away, and she turned to the other girl. "'Lo, Dorcas."

"'Lo, Lily," Dorcas said, hugging her red-haired friend. "Alice been boring you with tales of Frank?"

"There's nothing boring about them," Lily said, her green eyes glittering with amusement. "It's a regular soap opera!" The other girl laughed, while Marlene looked on, confused, and Alice became indignant.

"Is not!" she exclaimed. "We don't have any of those problems most couples have!"

"Which is why it's a soap opera," Lily said. "It's too perfect." She made her voice high-pitched. "'Oh, Frank! You're so wonderful!'" she exclaimed, fluttering her eyelashes demurely. 

"Stop!" Alice said, pushing her friend good-naturedly. "You're so mean, Lily."

"Um, Lily?" Marlene asked. 

"Yes, 'Lene?" Lily said, turning to her brown-haired friend. 

"What's a soap opera?"

"Muggle thing," the other three chorused. Alice and Dorcas were half-bloods—one parent magical, the other non-magical—Lily was a muggle-born—both of her parents were non-magical—and Marlene was a pureblood—both of her parents were magical. Thus, the other three would often talk about muggle things, leaving Marlene confused.

"Oh," Marlene said. 

"So, how were your summers?" Lily asked, sitting down.

"Same as usual," Dorcas said. "I'm seriously going to kill Benjy Fenwick if he asks me out one more time." The other three laughed. Benjy Fenwick was a Ravenclaw in their year who was besotted with Dorcas.

"Oh, come on, Dorcas!" Alice exclaimed. "We know you like him; just go out with the poor boy already!"

"I do not!" Dorcas retorted. "There is as much chance of my going out with Benjy as there is of Lily going out with James!"

"At least you use his first name," Marlene said. "Lily can't even say 'James', can you, Lily?"

"Nope," Lily replied proudly. "He is, has been, and always will be 'Potter' to me." Her other friends sighed.

"Lily, why can't the two of you just get along?" Alice asked. 

"I've told you a thousand times, Alice," Lily replied. "We're not meant to be friends!"

"Why don't you just _try_, Lily?" Alice, ever the peacemaker, asked.

"It's just so much easier to hate him," Lily responded. "But we've strayed from the topic. How was your summer, 'Lene?"

"Oh, I went to Greece," Marlene answered.

"That explains your tan," Lily said. "How was it?"

"_Fantastic_," her friend said, getting a far-off look in her eyes. "The boys there were so _dreamy_…" She trailed off.

"Merlin, here she goes again," Dorcas said exasperatedly. She shook her friend. "Marlene! There are no boys from Greece here!"

"Oh, right," Marlene said dejectedly. She then turned to Lily. "How was _your_ summer?"

"Petty's being unbearable about her wedding," Lily said. "But she stayed out of my way for the most part; I'm _so_ glad we can use magic at home now."

"I can't," Marlene said. "I'm not seventeen yet."

"But you'll be seventeen in a month or so," Alice said, comforting her friend. Dorcas turned to Lily, a merry glint in her eyes.

"I heard that someone got Head Girl," she said.

"Oh, shoot!" Lily exclaimed. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her Head Girl badge as she stood up. 

"What?" Marlene asked, surprised. Lily pinned her badge to her shirt.

"I have to be up in the Heads Compartment to address the Prefects and meet the new Head Boy!" she exclaimed. "I'll see you later. Try not to have too much fun without me, okay?"

"Don't worry, we will," Dorcas said, grinning. Lily laughed, running out the door.

"What do you think she's going to say when she finds out who the Head Boy is?" Alice asked the other two worriedly. 

"I dunno," Marlene said. "I just hope she doesn't castrate him; Aunt 'Lissa would never forgive me." All of the purebloods were related; thus, Marlene was James' cousin (her Aunt Melissa was his mother). 

"Yeah," Dorcas agreed. They fell silent, waiting anxiously for their friend's return.

***

Lily proceeded up to the front carriage, greeting all the people she knew as she passed. There was a nasty incident involving a carriage of Slytherins, but Lily managed to escape with minimal injury to her pride. She finally arrived at the Heads Compartment and pushed it open to find all the Prefects waiting there attentively. The Head Boy was nowhere to be seen. 

Taking another look, Lily noticed another absence: Remus Lupin was not there. Thus, she assumed that he was Head Boy. She was consequently surprised when the door flew open behind her, revealing James Potter, a Head Boy badge pinned to his shirt.

"I'm terribly sorry, Evans," he said earnestly. "I totally forgot." Lily sniffed disapprovingly, but said nothing. Remus Lupin entered behind him, slipping silently into his seat and nodding to Lily in greeting. Lily noticed the looks of loathing that Severus Snape was throwing at Remus, and wondered what had incited this detestation; Snape had never looked at Remus so hatefully. 

"All right, then," Lily said. "I'm going to take attendance." She waved her wand. A list of Prefects immediately appeared in front of her. 

She called the roll, her eyes widening slightly at some of the new Prefects; Regulus Black, Sirius' younger brother, was the new male Slytherin Prefect, while Fabian Prewett, Alice's Hufflepuff cousin, was the new Prefect for his house. When she reached the Seventh Year Prefects from Slytherin, Bellatrix Black and Severus Snape, both shot her equal glares of abhorrence. Most Slytherins hated Muggleborns, and these two were no exception. _Both must be sore about not getting the Head positions_, Lily mused.

She finished, rolling up the sheet of parchment and vanishing it with a wave of her wand.

"I'm Lily Evans, the Head Girl this year," she said. She paused, indicating to James that he should speak.

"I'm James Potter, the Head Boy," he said. Lily looked at him in surprise; his arrogant nature had yet to show itself.

"Oy, James!" one of the boys called. Lily recognized him as Elphias Doge, the new Gryffindor Prefect. "How'd you get to be Head Boy?"

"I dunno," James said, shrugging his shoulders. He ran his hand through his hair, a habit of his that Lily hated. "Dumbledore thought I was the best person for the job, I guess. He was right, of course." Lily detected a hint of the arrogance that she knew so well, and her surprise evaporated. James Potter had not changed one bit.

"Moving on," Lily said, narrowing her emerald eyes at James, "you are all here because you have been selected as the best of the best. As Prefects, you are expected to be role models to the school, and to enforce the school rules. Contrary to popular belief, they _do _have a purpose, and the position of Prefect is a highly prestigious one.

"Your duties include, but are not limited to, patrolling the hallways after hours to ensure that no one is engaging in—_inappropriate_—behavior, organizing school events, and, of course, making sure that everyone follows the rules. You have the power to assign detentions, but may not dock points. And to give detentions, you must get them cleared with a teacher or the Heads." She thought for a minute. "That's about it. Any questions?" No one spoke.

"You are dismissed," she said. "Make sure you patrol the train for about an hour or so in pairs. Have a good year!" There was a flurry of movement as everyone rushed out of the compartment. James, Remus, and Snape stayed behind. 

"So, Dumbledore has finally cracked," Snape said smoothly, in his quiet, oily voice. "Making a_ Mudblood _Head Girl? What _was_ our esteemed headmaster thinking?"

"Take that back, Snape," James said, his wand immediately out. Snape's was in his hand barely a second later.

"Potter, put that wand away," Lily said. "I don't need _you_ to defend me." 

"But—I—he—"

"I am perfectly aware of what Snape called me," she said coolly. "And Snape? Five points from Slytherin and a detention for inappropriate name-calling."

"You can't dock points," Snape retorted.

"Oh, yes I can," Lily said, smirking slightly. "It's one of the many benefits of being Head Girl. Now go and join your Slytherin friends before I decide to take more." Snape left quickly, and Lily sunk into one of the seats. Remus came up to her.

"Congratulations, Lily," he said in his quiet way, his amber eyes looking deep into her green ones. 

"Thanks, Remus," she said. "I thought _you_ would have been Head Boy." Remus shook his head. 

"Nah, I'm not much of a Prefect anyway," he said, shrugging his shoulders slightly with an apologetic smile. 

"You feeling okay?" she asked, noting his pale complexion. "When was the full moon?"

"Last week," Remus replied quietly. She was one of the few people who knew that Remus was a werewolf. "I'm still recovering. It was especially bad this time." He did not add that it had been so hard because James, Sirius, and Peter, who were Animagi and accompanied him during his transformations, had been unable to come and help him. "I'll see you later; I think James wants to talk to you. And please don't kill him, Lily."

"I can't make any promises," she said. "But I'll try, just for you."

"Thanks," he said, leaving the carriage. 

"So," Lily said, turning to James. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," James replied. "You too."

"I can't believe it, though. _You_ Head Boy? You're the most irresponsible boy in the school!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Evans," he said sarcastically. "We all knew you were going to be Head Girl. Perfect Prefect Evans: how could you _not_ be Head Girl?" Lily's temper started to rise as the name from the previous year came up.

"Seeing as we have to work together, I think we should…make a truce of sorts," Lily said, trying to repress the anger rising in her. She had to force the words out.

"A truce?" James asked, raising his eyebrow. "What kind of truce?"

"You don't bug me, I don't bug you."

"But getting under your skin is so _fun_, Evans!" James exclaimed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Lily was starting to see red, and stepped forward, clenching her fists at her sides.

"I understand that you're not mature enough to take your responsibilities seriously, Potter, but you should at least make an effort; I'm trying here!" she exclaimed. "Now, look, do you agree to try to minimize the fighting for the year?"

"Sure, Evans," he said quickly, noticing the danger signs. He did _not_ want to get on Lily Evans' bad side before the year had even begun. "Whatever floats your boat." He stuck out his hand. "Truce?"

"Truce," she said, shaking his hand. She squeezed it a little harder than necessary, taking her anger out upon it, and when they let go, his hand was red. "I'll see you around, Potter." She turned and left the compartment.

***

James stared after Lily as she swept out of the carriage. What on Earth had possessed her to propose a truce? The two of them had never got along, even when he had had a crush on her, in Fifth Year. Maybe her friends had bothered her as much as his had bothered him? That must have been it. He had to admit that it had been very enjoyable having Sirius living with him over the summer, but his friend's constant bugging on the subject of Lily had become too much more often than not.

James followed Lily out of the carriage, going to join Sirius, Peter, and Remus in their carriage. He pushed the door open and entered.

"So how'd it go, Prongs?" Sirius asked his friend. James' black-haired friend was playing chess against Remus, and from the looks of things, Remus was winning, as usual.

"He's alive, at least," Peter said, looking James over, "and he doesn't seem to be hurt in any way. This must be a first!"

"I was just as surprised as you, Wormtail," James said. "She actually wanted a truce." There was a loud cry from the chessboard as Sirius lost his queen to Remus' castle and turned to face James, shock painted on his face.

"She _what?_" Sirius asked. He absent-mindedly moved one of his pieces, not really thinking about what he was doing.

"Asked for a truce," James repeated. "I nearly fainted from the shock. She _hates_ me!"

"Which is in no small part attributable to you," Remus said, carefully studying the chessboard. He moved his knight, and Sirius cursed violently as he looked at where Remus had moved his piece.

"English, please, Moony," James said, sitting down and watching the chess game.

"It's mostly your fault that Lily hates you," his werewolf friend translated. "Are you going to make a move, Sirius?"

"Let me think!" Sirius exclaimed. "Why are you so bloody good at chess, Moony?" Remus shrugged. 

"When you don't have many friends, you become friends with the chess pieces," he said. "They've taught me all the strategy."

"That's sad, Moony," Peter said, biting the head off a Chocolate Frog. 

"But it works," James cut in. "Have you ever seen him lose?" 

"No, I haven't," Peter said grudgingly. Sirius finally made his move, taking Remus' bishop with a cry of triumph. Remus simply shook his head, smiling slightly, and moved his rook, checkmating Sirius. The latter groaned loudly and thumped his head on the chessboard.

"That's five galleons you owe me, Padfoot," Remus said, leaning back with a grin. 

"You're _still_ betting against Moony in chess?" James asked his best friend in surprise. Sirius smiled sheepishly. 

"I need some extra Galleons; I'm saving up to buy that flying motorbike," he said. 

"If I know my mum and dad, they'll buy it for you anyways," James said. "They like you a heck of a lot better than they like me." He imitated his mother's voice. "'No, James, you can't have any more cookies. Oh, Sirius dear, would you like some more? James, come inside and take out the garbage. Would you like some lemonade out there, Sirius?'" The other boys laughed and James shook his head. "You would think that _you're_ their son, not me!'

"It's just my natural charm, Prongs," Sirius said, striking a pose. The other three laughed.

"You think that, Padfoot," Remus said. 

"I will, thank you," Sirius said. The other three nearly fell over, their laughter intensifying. "What's so funny?" he asked, looking around in surprise.

"And Evans tells _me_ I have a big ego!" James said, rolling around on the floor. "Sirius, your head is so big and full of gas that I'm surprised you're not floating in the air!"

"Is not!" Sirius protested. "At least _my_ broom can get off the ground!"

"That was low," James said. "Don't remind me of the lake incident." The "lake incident" was the term the boys used to refer to the disaster following the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.s., as it had occurred near the enormous lake on the Hogwarts grounds.

"Not to mention it sounded really dirty," Remus added dryly. "And we know that's not what you meant, Padfoot."

"Nah, it wasn't," Sirius agreed. "So, Prongs, are we going to have a repeat of Fifth Year with Miss Lily Evans?"

"Merlin, no," James said. "I learned my lesson; I'm sticking with safe girls that I _know_ like me."

"But do you like them?" Peter asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," James said, trying to have an air of mystery. Sirius looked at him in surprise before laughing.

"Oh, that's rich!" he exclaimed. "You're _still_ carrying a flame for Lily!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!" 

"Are too!"

"Am not!'

"Are too!"

"Stop it, guys, you're giving me a headache," Peter said. 

"You also sound like Lily and James when they get into an argument," Remus said. "I'm surprised you two can still remember what you're arguing about after five minutes of 'Am not!' and 'Are too!' It's pathetic, really."

"Is not!" James said. The others groaned. 

"Let's not start again, Prongs," Remus said. "Please."

"All right," James said. He then decided to steer the conversation away from Lily Evans; Sirius had come closer to the truth than he liked. "So, you guys got any ideas for our start of the year prank?"

"Ooh, pick me, pick me!" Sirius exclaimed, bouncing up and down with his hand in the air. James looked at him over his glasses.

"How much sugar did he have, Moony?" Even if Sirius had eaten sugar at the beginning of the train ride, it would have taken this long to have effect.

"At least three boxes of Every Flavor Beans, five Pumpkin Pasties, twenty Chocolate Frogs, and that's not even counting the amount of candy he appeared to have hidden in his trunk," Remus said, ticking them off on his fingers. James buried his head in his hands.

"We're dead," he said simply as Sirius continued to bounce up and down.

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A/N: And now, thank-yous to all of my wonderful reviewers! I didn't even expect ONE positive review, and I get eleven; _wow_. You people make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside…

**LiLKiKi15: **My first reviewer! I hope your question was answered in the above chapter…

**J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Erin)**

**ShimmeringEvil**

**MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus**

**wondergirl03**

**pRoNgSMoOnYPaDfOoT**

**Anita Coffee: **Yeah, I know the feeling. There are so many fics out there that have good plots, but the lack of attention to technical details detracts from reading them. I'm obsessed with perfect grammar and spelling to a fault (my friends say they're going to knock it out of me), and if you find any mistakes, please share them with me. I'm glad you like this fic; please keep reading!

**A.**

**ThreeEaredBunny: **Thanks! Yeah, it is somewhat rare, but I do try to write my stories at an educated level. I'm glad you like it.

**~*~rOk_stA~*~ **

**Spunky Panda**

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Don't forget to review with your suggestions and comments! It helps me make the story better!

~Eos


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the _Harry Potter _series.

**Summary:** Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible." It was the only thing she and James agreed upon. 

**A/N:** As was pointed out to me by LimeJuiceTub, Neville is a pureblood, and _both_ of his parents would therefore have to be purebloods. So Alice is now a pureblood, and the reason she knows so much about Muggles is because she's been over to Lily's house so many times over the summer. Okay? Good. 

Also, I'm surprised that so many of you like Sirius' hyperactivity in the previous chapter. However, since you all enjoy it so much, I've put in more of it for your benefit! Enjoy!

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**INCOMPATIBLE** CHAPTER TWO 

Lily laughed to herself as she watched the students get off the train and into the horseless carriages that would transport them to Hogwarts. Sirius seemed to be on a sugar high…_again_. She shook her head, still chuckling. That boy would _never_ learn to do anything in moderation; he was the most extreme person Lily had ever met. 

"Would you mind sharing what's so funny, Lils?" Dorcas asked, coming up behind her with Marlene and Alice.

"Sirius," Lily gasped. The other girls looked over and started laughing, as well. 

Sirius was currently attempting to convince Hagrid that he was indeed a First Year, and could he go on the boats? The large man was shaking his head while trying to hide a smile behind his giant beard. He looked around, and, catching Lily's eye, waved. She waved back, grinning widely. Sirius took advantage of Hagrid's lack of attention and rushed off down the path, but the gamekeeper simply reached out and grabbed the back of Sirius' black Hogwarts robes, pulling him back effortlessly. 

"Sirius, stop!" he exclaimed, frustrated with the hyper seventeen-year-old. "Yeh're gonna make me lose the Firs' Years!"

"But Hagrid, I _am_ a First Year!" Sirius exclaimed earnestly, struggling against Hagrid's grip. Help finally came in the form of James and Remus, who walked over calmly. Peter stood a little way behind.

"Sorry 'bout that, Hagrid," Remus said, grabbing one of Sirius' arms. James grabbed the other. "You know what he's like when he's had too much sugar; we lost control of him when the train doors stopped."

"'S'okay," Hagrid said. He looked down at the boys and did a double take. "I didn' know yeh were Head Boy, James!" he exclaimed. James puffed out his chest proudly.

"Didn't expect it of me, did you, Hagrid?" he asked. 

"Nah, I didn'," Hagrid said, waving a large hand. Several students ducked as they made their way to the horseless carriages. "Yeh've caused me too much trouble." Remus and James laughed.

"We should probably get up to the school," Remus said. "See you at the feast, Hagrid!" He and James dragged Sirius towards the carriages with them, and Hagrid waved before turning back to the first years. The three boys managed to make it to the last carriage, where Peter was waiting for them, and Remus and James threw their hyper friend in, quickly jumping in and closing the doors behind them. 

"Sirius, if you don't calm down, we won't pull a prank at all," James said seriously. Sirius immediately sobered.

"I'm fine now," he said. The other three laughed.

"So, Prongs," Remus said, as the carriage started off towards Hogwarts, "was Padfoot right?"

"About what?" James asked, confused.

"Miss Lily Evans, of course!" Peter exclaimed. "Do you still like her?"

"No!" James exclaimed, a little too quickly. Remus raised an eyebrow, while Sirius laughed.

"You're horrible at lying, Prongs," he said. "You almost had me convinced—until your eye twitched."

"My eye did _not_ twitch!" James exclaimed.

"You keep telling yourself that," Sirius said. "Admit it, Prongs: you like Lily!"

"Look, Padfoot, can we just drop it?" James asked.

"No," Sirius said, folding his arms. "I'm not stopping until I get a confession out of you."

"Which won't be until the sun rises in the West," Remus cut in. "Give it up, Padfoot; Prongs is more stubborn than a mule."

"I resent that!" James exclaimed. "I'm as stubborn as a stag!"

"Ha ha," Peter said sarcastically. "Stags aren't stubborn, Prongs."

"Shut it," James said. "Now they are."

"I thought they were supposed to be majestic," Sirius said thoughtfully. "You can't be stubborn and majestic at the same time, Prongs."

"Shut up," James said. "I can so be stubborn and majestic."

"I hate to break it to you, Prongs, but you can't," Remus said. "Moving on, is the prank finalized?"

"Of course, Moony!" Sirius exclaimed. Just then, the carriage stopped. As the boys got out, Sirius whispered to the other three, "Just stick with the plan I gave you earlier." He walked up the steps to the giant front doors and into the Entrance Hall.

"What plan?" Remus whispered to James. "He never said anything comprehensible; he was on a sugar high!"

"You remember what he wanted, though," James said. "We'll just do it for his sake. You know he'd probably stop talking to us for a week if we didn't, anyways."

"That's true," Remus sighed. "And after last year, I don't want to not be talking to any of you guys. That was stressful." 

Remus was referring to the incident in which Sirius, losing his temper, had told Snape how to find Remus when he was undergoing his monthly transformations into a werewolf. James, upon learning what his best friend had done, had immediately rushed to Snape's rescue, and managed to prevent any serious accidents. However, Remus refused to speak to Sirius for a few months, and James spoke to him only when necessary. Over the summer, they had finally forgiven Sirius, but Remus had confided to James that he would never be able to give Sirius his full trust again. 

The boys entered the Great Hall, where most of the school was already assembled. As they made their way over to the Gryffindor table, Jams caught a glimpse of bright red hair, and was suddenly overcome with a wave of guilt. He was Head Boy; he was not supposed to prank the other students any more! What would Lily say?

_Why do I care?_

***

Lily looked around the Great Hall, taking in the warm, familiar atmosphere of Hogwarts. She smiled. _This_ was where she belonged; the castle of Hogwarts was her home. She looked up at the ceiling, where the starry sky of the night outside was depicted. Her smile broadened as she looked over at the High Table, where Dumbledore was talking with their Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Professor Bagarre.

  
"Lily!" Alice waved her hand in front of Lily's visage. "Wake up!"

"What?" Lily asked, looking around hurriedly. "What's wrong?"

"The Sorting's about to start!" Marlene exclaimed. Lily looked at the front of the Hall, and sure enough, the trembling First Years were standing in front of Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher. The ragged Sorting Hat was on a stool next to her. The rest of the Hall was clapping; Lily assumed that the Hat had already finished its song.

"They'd better hurry up," Dorcas grumbled. "I'm starving." Her stomach growled for effect as McGonagall called the first name: "Argyle, Joseph!"

"Dorcas!" Alice said reproachfully. "The Sorting's very important—"

"Blah, blah, blah," Dorcas cut in, as the Sorting Hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" She clapped absent-mindedly along with the others. "We get that rubbish from Nearly Headless Nick _all_ the time, I don't need it from you three as well!"

"Dorcas, shush!" Marlene exclaimed. "The less you complain, the faster it'll go!" Her eyes were fixed upon the Sorting as the number of First Years dwindled. Finally, with "Weasley, William!" ("GRYFFINDOR!"), the Sorting ended, and Dumbledore stood up. 

"Oh, get on with it already!" Dorcas moaned. The other three immediately shushed her.

"I know that all of you are undoubtedly hungry," Hogwarts' headmaster started, but he was interrupted by Sirius' cry of, "Hear, hear!"

"However," Dumbledore continued, ignoring Sirius, "There are some things that must be said. Bonbons! Twit! Bumblebee! Crick!" The entire school laughed as Dumbledore clapped his hands and food appeared on the shining golden plates in front of them. The First Years stared at the food, amazed, while the rest of the school dug in. 

***

Severus Snape was noticing something very odd. As he tried to heap food onto his plate, the dish leapt away from him. Looking up and down the Slytherin table, his housemates were having similar troubles. Finally, a dish dumped its contents over Bellatrix Black's head, drenching her in scalding leek soup. She shrieked loudly. At this, rest of the food at the table emptied its contents over the Slytherins, who were then levitated into the air so that the entire school could see them. Severus felt utterly humiliated; he was covered in peas and mashed potatoes, and the entire Hall could see him!

The other three houses burst out laughing at the Slytherins' plight, but no one attempted to help them out—except for one person. Lily Evans waved her wand, counteracting the levitation charm, and stormed over to where James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were sitting and laughing loudly at their enemies' appearances. As she approached, she saw Peter look at her and stop laughing, nervously communicating her arrival to his friends. Lily's fists were clenched at her sides, her emerald green eyes glittering with fury as her face became slightly pink with anger.

"Hello, Lily," Sirius said, looking at her fearfully.

"What was that?" she asked, biting off each word.

"What was what?" Remus asked, his face the picture of innocence.

"The Slytherins!" she exclaimed, pointing over at the other end of the Hall. "That was cruel! I know it was you four; don't attempt to deny it!"

"We don't," James said calmly, folding his arms over his chest. "What are you going to do, Evans? Give us detention? Take off points?" He gave a fake gasp. "Tell _McGonagall?_"

"There's no need for her to do so," Professor McGonagall said, coming up from the High Table. "A week's detention and ten points from Gryffindor, Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew. I must say that I'm ashamed of you, Mr. Potter. I had expected better of you, as Head Boy." She turned to Lily. "Five points to Gryffindor, Miss Evans, for counteracting the levitation charm." Lily nodded her head and walked back to her seat as the stern, bespectacled professor turned back to the four boys. "Mr. Potter, I would like to see you in my office after class tomorrow." James nodded to her, and she walked away.

"Stuck-up priss," James muttered as Peter started to eat again.

"Who?" Sirius asked. "McGonagall or Lily?"

"Evans," James said. He made his voice high-pitched, mocking Lily. "I know it was you four; don't attempt to deny it! Oh, Professor McGonagall, I'm such a suck-up; I stick up for the slimy Slytherins, who call me 'Mudblood' all the time! Potter, I'm giving you a detention because you're an arrogant, pig-headed git!"

"Notice how those became more personal towards the end," Sirius whispered to Remus. The werewolf nodded, barely concealing a smile. 

"James, she's got a point," Remus said seriously. "We really should stop playing those pranks—" He was interrupted by a loud gasp from Sirius.

"Stop playing pranks?" the black-haired boy asked, mortified. "Who are you and what have you done with Moony?" Remus sighed, shaking his head.

"Sirius, I'm just saying what I think," he said. "We really should stop torturing other students for fun."

"Moony!" Sirius moaned. "That's what's so great about them! I get to humiliate my cousins!"

"Evil as Bellatrix and Narcissa may be, you shouldn't target all of the Slytherins because you don't get along with some of them."

"What about Regulus? Malfoy? Snape?" Sirius asked, getting hysterical. "I can't prank them, either?"

"Sirius, calm down," Remus sighed. "I'm just saying that maybe we should—cut back a little, or at least stop putting so much focus on the Slytherins. You've seen how sore they're getting over it; some day it's going to come back and bite you in the arse." 

"Ah, shut it, Moony," Sirius said. "I don't need you preaching to me."

"I'm not preaching, Sirius!" Remus exclaimed. "I'm telling you what I think is right!"

"Which is the same as preaching," Sirius said, shoveling some chicken into his mouth, effectively ending the conversation.

***

"Lily, I still don't see why you get so aggravated about their pranks!" Dorcas exclaimed. Dinner was over; all of the students were in their dormitories. Lily was sitting on her bed, reading a book, Dorcas was sitting in front of the mirror brushing her long raven hair, Alice was brushing her teeth in the bathroom, and Marlene was looking through a photo album and sighing wistfully. 

"They're not funny," Lily said curtly, closing her book and setting it down on her bedside table. "They're downright heartless, Dorcas! I know what it's like to be made fun of and teased almost permanently; I got it from Petunia and her friends before I ever came here. I don't want anyone to feel unwanted and hated the way I did. If it wasn't for my parents, I'd be as bitter as the Slytherins."

"But Lily, don't you think that _some_ of them are funny?" Alice asked, coming out of the bathroom. "I mean, you have to admit that that one time when they cast a spell to make all of the teachers talk in verse was funny."

"For the first half of the day, yes," Lily said. "But around lunchtime, the novelty wore off, and it was just plain annoying."

"Lily, you need to loosen up," Dorcas said. "You're too rigid. You can laugh at other people sometimes; everyone does it." Marlene sighed from across the room again. "And stop your sighing, 'Lene!" Dorcas exclaimed, frustrated. "Carlo or Marcus or Pietro or whatever their names are aren't going to remember you, and you'll have forgotten about them by the time you meet your next boyfriend!"

"It's Carlos, and Michael, and Pierre," Marlene retorted, sitting up. Dorcas rolled her eyes. "And they were all perfectly nice boys!"

"Who dumped you when they found out you were a witch!" Dorcas retorted. "Face it, Marlene, they're not worth sighing over!"

"But they were so sweet," Marlene said, her eyes glazing over, "and they all had such dreamy eyes…" She trailed off, lost in thought. Dorcas sighed.

"Here she goes again," the blue-eyed girl said. She walked over and lightly slapped Marlene's face. "Snap out of it, 'Lene!" she exclaimed. "Get your head out of your fantasy world and come back to Earth!"

"I can dream if I like, thank you," Marlene said indignantly.

"Yes, you can," Alice, ever the peacemaker, said. "But there's a point when your dreams become obsessions, and that's what they are right now, 'Lene. You have to admit that you're taking this a bit far."

"No I'm not," Marlene said. "I'm just looking for the perfect guy—"

"None of whom happen to be in your album," Lily cut in. "Give it up, 'Lene. Your perfect guy will come when he comes, and no sooner. Just stop dwelling on Jonas and Stephan and Gregorian." 

"Joseph and Stefanio and—" 

"That's _exactly_ what I'm talking about!" Dorcas exclaimed. "You can remember the names of all your summer flings, but can hardly recall the dates of the Giant Wars!"

"Well, can you?" Marlene retorted. Dorcas thought for a moment.

"No," she admitted. "But still!"

"Girls?" Lily asked, from her bed by the window. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep. I need to be at my best tomorrow, and I can hardly do that with you two bickering all night." Dorcas and Marlene apologized to their auburn-haired friend, while glaring at each other. Alice sighed.

"Dorcas, 'Lene, can you two just agree to disagree?" she asked. Marlene and Dorcas stared each other down before looking up at Alice.

"I guess so," Dorcas said. "What do you think, 'Lene?" Marlene nodded.

"All right," she said. "And I promise that I'll try to tone it down a bit."

"Thank Merlin!" Dorcas ejaculated. "It's about time!"

"Dorcas…" Alice said warningly. 

"All right, all right, I'm going to bed," Dorcas said, hopping into her bed and closing the drapes. Marlene followed her example, but Alice walked over to her bed and sat on it, indicating that Lily should join her.

"Lily, you never told us about your meeting with James," the blonde-haired girl said.

"What's there to tell?" Lily asked. "He came in, I discovered he was Head Boy, I exploded at him, he exploded at me, end of story."

"Then explain why you looked so surprised when they played that prank on the Slytherins; it took you a couple of seconds to rescue the Slytherins, and that's _never_ happened before." Lily sighed.

"I can never get anything past you, can I?" she asked.

"Nope," Alice said. "Now spill."

"It's nothing really," Lily said. "Just…Potter and I made a truce on the train coming here."

"You _what?_" Alice exclaimed. 

"Shh!" Lily exclaimed. "Keep your voice down!" 

"Oh, right," Alice whispered. "Sorry."

"Anyways, I offered Potter a truce: he won't bother me, I won't bother him. I took it to mean that he'd actually take his Head Boy duties seriously, but I guess I was mistaken; he's the same old arrogant, uncaring Potter." Alice sighed.

"Lily, can't you and James _ever_ get along?" Lily shook her head. 

"I made an effort, Alice, I really did," she sighed. "But I've told you before, we're incompatible; Fate just never intended for us to be friends." She got up and walked over to her bed, pulling the drapes as she climbed in, effectively ending the conversation.

"But then why did you both look so upset after you blew up at James?" Alice whispered, her question cutting through the darkness. 

Lily turned over, pretending that she had not heard her friend's comment, but the question echoed through her brain all night, and when she finally got to sleep, her dreams were filled with Slytherins, Head Boy badges, and a boy with messy jet-black hair.

***

On the other side of the Gryffindor tower, in the Seventh Year boys' dormitory, the atmosphere was as different from that of the girls' dormitory as could be. Sirius was bouncing up and down on his bed, claiming that he had missed its "springy quality." (Remus had rolled his eyes as he started to unpack his trunk.) James was standing on his bed, tacking up his Quidditch posters, and Peter was digging through his trunk, throwing his belongings around the room.

"What are you looking for, Wormtail?" James asked his friend as a pair of socks flew past him to settle in the corner.

"My Remembrall," Peter said. "I keep thinking that I've forgotten something, but every time, it slips my mind."

"Is that it?" James asked, pointing to a small circular object that was buried between a shirt and Peter's Divinations textbook.

"Yes!" Peter exclaimed, grabbing it. "Thanks, Prongs!"

"Don't mention it," James said, climbing down from his bed. "Padfoot, will you _stop?_ That bed's going to break soon from all that creaking."

"And then I'll just get the house-elves to bring me a new one, which will be even springier than this one!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Is springier even a word?" Peter asked.

"I don't think so," Remus said. "How much dessert did you have, Padfoot?"

"Umm…three slices of pumpkin pie, two of treacle tart, three bowls of ice cream, five éclairs, a jam doughnut—"

"Stop!" Remus exclaimed. "Where do you put it all?"

"In my stomach, of course," Sirius said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

"But how the hell do you fit it in there?"

"I'm a growing boy, Moony! I need food!"

"No, you don't," James cut in. "You eat enough for the entire Seventh Year, and _still_ say you're hungry. And you drive us crazy with your hyperactivity. No more sugar for you."

"You can't make me," Sirius said.

"Oh yes we can," James said. "Or do I need to remind you of the time when we enchanted Snape to be allergic to sugar?" Sirius shuddered.

"You wouldn't do that to me, Prongs, would you?" he asked, stopping his bouncing.

"Of course he would," Remus said. "And I'd help him."

"And so would I!" Peter called from across the room, where he was studying his Remembrall, which was glowing red, a sign that he was forgetting something.

"You're _evil_," Sirius whined, sitting on his bed. Remus put the last of his robes in his closet and closed his trunk. 

"No, we're just trying to keep our sanity," he said dryly.

"Shut it," Sirius said. He then turned to James. "So, Prongs, are you ready to admit to your love for Lily?"

"Are you insane or something?" James asked. "For the last time: I. Do. Not. Like. Lily Evans!"

"We _know_ he's insane, Prongs," Remus said. "But his claim's perfectly justifiable."

"No it's not!" James protested. "I don't like Evans, and that's the end of it!"

"Yes you do," Sirius said. "Admit it!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not do not do not!"

"Do too do too do too!"

"Will you cut it out?" Peter asked, rubbing his temples. "You're giving me a headache!"

"You know, sometimes I think the two of you are worse than you and Lily, James," Remus said, flicking his wand at Peter.

"Thanks, Moony," Peter sighed in relief as his headache disappeared. He yawned suddenly. "I'm going to bed."

"So'm I," James said. 

"Are you admitting defeat?" Sirius asked as James walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Never!" James exclaimed, getting out his toothbrush and toothpaste. "The day I like Lily Evans is the day Snivellus professes his undying love for McGonagall!" Sirius' face lit up, and Remus shook his head.

"Bad move, Prongs," he said quietly. He knew the glint in Sirius' eyes all too well: his black-haired friend was planning something, which did not bode well for James. 

Sirius, like James, rarely admitted that he was in the wrong, and was hardly likely to give up on his argument with James about Lily. Remus sighed. They would undoubtedly see the fruit of Sirius' labors by the end of the week; it was no use wondering what he was thinking about. Besides, the werewolf had a pretty good idea of what was going on in his friend's head, and did not _want_ to know what Sirius was going to do.

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A/N: And that's Chapter Two! A big thank-you to all of my wonderful reviewers:

**MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it so far!

**LiLKiKi15:** I'm glad you liked Chapter 1; I must have written it three times over before I got it to be what it is. Lol. Hope you liked this one, too!

**SoulAvenger:** Thanks! 

**LiTtLe-bLaCk-StAr:** Thanks! Hope this was out soon enough for you!

**Kokoro: **I'm flattered that you think I'm awesome; I hope you liked this as much as the other chapters!

**fizban hat:** Thanks! I'm still trying to get over the fact that everyone liked that thing of Sirius'…

**Charlene: **It really seems like I know what I'm doing? I'm honored that you think so. (However, between you and me…I'm just writing this off the top of my head. My muses are the ever-so-fickle purple plot penguins that dance around in my brain, and they have a tendency to desert me whenever I'm planning out plots…) Thanks!

**LimeJuiceTub: **That has to be one of the greatest compliments I've received: I'm honored that you think I'm so true to JKR's books. She's certainly a great writer! And I didn't notice that about Alice; thanks for pointing that out! (I've fixed that, if you noticed the A/N at the beginning of the chapter.) I'm glad you like the characters; I do too!

**true-elfy:** Thanks!

**met19: **I'm glad you think so; thanks!

**Hogwarts-Drama-Queen:** Personally, I thought the Sirius being hyper was a way overdone cliché that I just _had_ to do, but whatever floats your boat…Thanks anyways!

**jess131346:** Well, now you know what Sirius' prank is…and yes, you get a cookie! Thanks for reviewing!

**child-of-scorpio:** Thanks! You really like the truce thing? It was a random thing that came to mind as I was writing, so I just scribbled it down…I'm glad you think it makes it interesting!

**ChristyCorr:** Thanks! You know, it would really help if you pointed out clichés in my writing, as I'm not too good with spotting them…I would really appreciate it. And thanks for reviewing "Embraceable You": that was an attack of my muses, the purple plot penguins; I'm glad you like it! (And please update "Reason" soon; it's _so _good, and I desperately want to know what happens!)

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I'm still trying to get over the fact that I've received 26 reviews for this story; that's at least twenty-one more than I expected! Don't forget to review; you guys make my day!

~Eos


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the _Harry Potter _series.

**Summary:** Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible." It was the only thing she and James agreed upon. 

**A/N:** Sorry this took me so long…I was having trouble writing the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

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Lily sighed, looking at the mountains of parchment surrounding her. It was the first day of school, and the teachers had already piled on mounds of work, using the excuse of preparing the Seventh Years for their N.E.W.T.s. She allowed her head to fall forward onto the table in the Gryffindor Common Room, groaning. 

"I share your pain, Lils," Dorcas said, coming and sitting next to her friend. She dropped her bag on the table with a loud thump, causing the table to teeter like a seesaw. 

"Dorcas!" Alice exclaimed as ink spilled all over the table. She quickly picked up her Herbology essay to protect it from the black liquid as Marlene waved her wand, causing the ink to go back into the bottle. Alice sighed with relief, placing her parchment back on the table and scribbling furiously.

"I'm going to die," Lily moaned, still slumped over the table. "Do the teachers want to kill us?"

"Yes," Dorcas said. "I've been trying to tell you that since Fifth Year, but _no_…Lily Evans doesn't want to put a stain on our beloved teachers, and is too good to listen to the likes of me."

"Shut it," Lily said, looking up at her friend. "I have more work than the rest of you; may I remind you that I'm Head Girl and that I'm taking six N.E.W.T. classes, while you three are only taking four?"

"Well, that's what you get for being an overachiever," Marlene said, furiously waving her Charms essay in the air to dry the wet ink. "See, we all know not to bite off more than we can chew, Lily, but you're just pushing it."

"I thought I told you three to shut it?" 

"You started it by complaining about all the work you have to do," Dorcas said, her nose buried in her Potions book. Lily sighed.

"I know, it's just…I can't get this Transfiguration assignment!" Lily exclaimed. "It's so hard!"

"Lily, you know none of us are exactly Transfiguration whizzes," Marlene said. Alice was still scribbling furiously, not saying a word to anyone. Lily sighed again. 

"I know," she said. "The only people I can ask are Sirius and Potter, and Sirius is in detention, which leaves Potter, and there's _no _wayI'm going to talk to him of my own free will!"

"I thought you made a truce with him?" Marlene asked. Lily silently cursed herself for telling the other girls what had passed between her and James.

"Only for Head Boy and Girl business," Lily protested, pulling her Charms text towards her. "I'll just finish the rest of my work and wait for Sirius to get back."

"Lils, knowing him as well as I do, you _know_ that Sirius won't be back until past midnight, and we _do_ have classes tomorrow," Dorcas said. "Just ask James for help."

"No way," Lily said. "There is no way I'm asking that—that—_jerk_ for help!"

"Talking about me, Evans?" James Potter's dry voice came from behind her, and she whirled around to face him. "Flattered as I am, Dumbledore wants to see us." Lily sighed, pushing her chair back and getting up.

"I'm coming, Potter," she said wearily. "Don't wait up."

"But you don't know the password, and I do," James said. Lily glared at him.

"Do you _want_ me to kill you, Potter?" she asked, walking towards the portrait hole. She climbed out from behind the Fat Lady, followed by James.

"Considering all the homework the teachers have been giving us, death will be a nice respite," he said as they walked towards the headmaster's office. "So, by all means, go ahead and kill me. Just know that I'll haunt you for the rest of your life." 

"There's no getting rid of you, is there?" Lily asked in exasperation.

"Nope," James said proudly. "Get used to me, Evans, because you're stuck with me."

"Oh, I don't have to get used to you," Lily said with a smirk, pulling out her wand and twirling it between her fingers. "I can just threaten you with harm to your…crown jewels, if you get my meaning, Potter." James _did_ comprehend, but did not say anything. He settled for glaring at her, although it was much less satisfying than retorting with his usual cutting remark.

James remembered all too well the time in Third Year when his and Lily's friends had locked the two of them in a closet in an attempt to get them to be friends. Come to think of it, what _had_ possessed them to keep the two bickering Gryffindors locked up in a _very_ small space for a long period of time? Anyway, Lily and James had ended up arguing, as usual, and it had ended with her kicking him in his crotch. He had been in agony for two days; Lily had been wearing high-heeled boots at the time, being fairly short for her age. James was _not_ eager to feel that kind of pain again. 

He was jerked from his reminiscence as Lily stopped in front of him. They had reached the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office, and she looked at him expectantly. James suddenly noticed how green her eyes were…

"The password, Potter?" she asked sharply, jerking him from his reverie. _Was I just staring at Evans?_ he asked himself in shock.

"Er…right," he said. "Peppermint toads," he said to the gargoyle, which sprung aside, revealing the spiral staircase that led to the headmaster's room. "Ladies first," he said, gesturing to the stairway and looking at Lily. 

She glanced at him in surprise before climbing onto the stone steps as they rose upward in a spiral. It was very unlike him to be so…_gentlemanly_. He followed her and the staircase continued to spiral up until it stopped at the oak door that led to Dumbledore's office. Lily raised the brass knocker and rapped hesitantly on Dumbledore's door.

"Come in," the headmaster called from inside. Lily pushed the door open and James followed her in, closing the door behind him. Dumbledore was writing something, his half-moon spectacles gleaming in the light of the fire nearby. The quarter moon shone through the windows, resting upon Dumbledore's array of whirling gadgets on the spindly tables scattered about the room and illuminating them slightly. Dumbledore looked up and smiled at Lily and James, his blue eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

"Ah, nice to see you, Miss Evans, Mr. Potter," he said. "I assume that you have figured out why I have called you here?" 

"Is it Heads' business, Professor?" Lily asked. Dumbledore smiled.

"Right as always, Miss Evans," he said. Lily's cheeks turned slightly pink, while James scowled at her.

"Perfect Prefect Evans," he muttered under his breath. Lily instantly turned to glare at him; if looks could kill, James would be dead and buried five hundred times over.

"Sherbet lemon?" Dumbledore asked, pulling out a bowl of sweets and offering it to the two, who were glowering at each other. They turned to look at him in surprise and shook their heads, their quarrel forgotten. That was typical of Lily and James; neither of them could remember their small, inconsequential arguments, although every now and then they would have a fight that would leave them not talking to each other for several weeks. (Their friends hoped and prayed for these fights but also dreaded them, as they usually meant that Lily and James' argument would be longer and louder, but also meant that there would be a respite—however brief—from the constant fighting that plagued the Gryffindor common room.) Dumbledore shrugged and popped one of the round, yellow sweets into his mouth.

"Suit yourselves," he said. "Moving on, the main reason I called you here is to discuss your duties as Heads. You still have to do all of the Prefect duties, but there are some other responsibilities that you have.

"You are in charge of organizing any school-wide events such as balls, feasts, parties, et cetera, although you may ask for the assistance of the Prefects in such planning. You will run the Prefects' meetings and submit a report of what was done at each one. You are also responsible for coordinating such Prefect duties as patrolling the hallways and regulating trips to Hogsmeade—which you will also be in charge of organizing. You must keep a record of all the detentions given and points deducted—although only you two may deduct points. You can change passwords, but they must be passed by one of the four Heads of Houses or myself; nothing inappropriate, please." His twinkling blue eyes swept over to James as he said this. "Also, you are expected to use your knowledge of the passwords in a responsible manner, _not_ for mischief-making." Again, his gaze lingered on James. "That's about it; any questions?" Lily and James shook their heads.

"And another thing, Miss Evans, Mister Potter," Dumbledore said. "I know that the two of you have a…volatile…relationship, but please try to get along for the sake of the rest of the school." Lily and James murmured their agreement. "That is all for now; feel free to come see me if you have any questions."

"Thank you, Professor," Lily said. She left the room, followed by James. As she stepped off the staircase, walking briskly down the hallway, he called after her.

"Evans!" he called. "Wait up!" She paused, turning around and looking at him questioningly.

"Make it quick, Potter," she said. "I have a ton of homework to do, and I don't need you holding me up."

"Look," James said, running his hand through his hair, messing it up even more. He did not notice Lily's eyes narrow in annoyance. "I know we got off to a bad start yesterday, and I'm sorry." He extended his hand. "Can we renew that truce?"

"Did I ever say that it was off?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," James said hesitantly, "but from your behavior towards me all day, I thought that was what you wanted." Lily smiled slightly.

"It was," she said. "But I shall reconsider your offer, Potter, and give you my answer tomorrow morning." James sighed, not knowing whether he was relieved or disappointed. He then had an idea.

"And if you want help with Transfiguration, I'm willing to give it to you," James said. He suddenly realized that he had made a mistake as Lily's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Mister Potter," she said coldly. James flinched at her tone. "But I do not need help with Transfiguration. What gave you cause to believe that I did?" 

James smacked himself mentally. Lily hated it when other people offered help; she was very self-sufficient and hated to ask for assistance from other people, especially James. (She was also rather proud, although no one had ever been able to get her to admit to it.) Whenever James offered to help her (which was a rare occurrence) she always felt that he had some ulterior motive, and, now that he thought back on it, she had fairly good reason to. First, there was his telling her the spell that exploded things when they were supposed to be turning a beetle into a button in Transfiguration, in Second Year, then the pink and purple bunny ears he gave her when he was "helping" her with Human Transfiguration…and how could he ever forget the prank his friends had nicknamed the "Flying Vegetable" incident? (He had turned a flock of birds into carrots to attack her, causing her to blow up at him—his nickname for her had been "carrot-top", a name that she despised. However, that nickname was dropped in favor of "Perfect Prefect Evans," which made its appearance in Fifth Year.)

"I…er…um…that is…" James fumbled for an answer that would keep Lily from causing him bodily harm, becoming increasingly nervous as she took her wand out and tapped it against her palm.

"_Today_, Potter," she said, getting annoyed. 

"Evans, _please_ don't kill me," he said. "I was just listening to you talking to your friends, and I couldn't help but overhear what you said about the Transfiguration homework…"

"So you were eavesdropping, then," Lily said flatly.

"Not really," James said, his eyes twinkling. "I wasn't dropping any eaves, if that's what you mean." Lily started twirling her wand.

"Potter, this isn't the time for you to make wisecracks," she said irritably. "If I just…" she waved her wand absently, and James fumbled for his wand to defend himself. However, nothing happened; Lily did not say anything, nor did she point her wand at him. She just kept waving it aimlessly as they walked along the corridors. 

Finally, they stopped at the picture of the Fat Lady, who guarded the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Lily said the password ("cherry bomb") and entered the common room. James followed her, keeping enough distance between the two of them so that he would be able to get out of the way quickly if Lily suddenly decided to hex him. She whirled around as soon as they were both in the common room, and James braced himself, tightening his grip on his wand.

"Potter, I'm warning you," she said coldly, "I have enough to deal with this year without you adding to it. Now, I need to get back to my work and can't afford to have a detention, so consider yourself lucky. Next time, I won't hesitate to hex you. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," he said, gulping as she looked up at him angrily. Although he was several inches taller than she was, she somehow managed to seem as if she was towering over him. 

"Good," Lily said. She walked over to the table where her friends were still working on their homework. She paused before settling down and turned around, facing James, who was still staring at her. "Oh, and Potter? I would advise you not to play any more of your pranks on the Slytherins, or you might find something nasty waiting for you." With this ominous threat, she sat down, pulling out her Potions textbook. 

James gaped at her. This was _not_ the Lily Evans he had known; something was definitely off with her. Normally, she would simply ignore him, not threaten him. Or she would yell at him as she threatened him, not say it so coolly. What had changed? 

With a sigh, James left off thinking about Lily and got to work on his homework. Like Lily, he was taking six N.E.W.T. classes. However, she was studying to become a Healer, while James' dream was to become an Auror. To accomplish this goal, he would have to work hard (for once), something he was unused to; he was used to everything coming to him with a snap of his fingers. (Except for Charms, but that was another story.)

Finally, around midnight, James finished his work. He heard a sigh from across the room and glanced up, seeing Lily scribbling furiously on her roll of parchment; they were the only two people in the common room. James collected his books and work and stuffed them into his bag in preparation for the next day.

Suddenly, both he and Lily heard sounds from outside the portrait hole; it sounded like someone was arguing with the Fat Lady. James crept to the hole and strained his ears to hear what was going on outside. He grinned as the voices and words became clear.

"What business of yours is it that I'm back so late?" Sirius' voice was bellowing at the Fat Lady.

"You don't have to wake me up so loudly!" the Fat Lady exclaimed irritably. "All you have to do is ask nicely!"

"Well, I'm tired!" Sirius exclaimed. "Let me in!"

"Not without the password," the Fat Lady said haughtily.

"I already told you that I don't remember the password!" Sirius said angrily. "You know that I'm a Gryffindor; just let me into the bloody Tower!"

"No password, no entrance," the portrait said. James heard Sirius sigh in exasperation.

"Damn you and your stubbornness!" he cursed the portrait. James finally decided that his friend had probably had enough, and crawled through the portrait hole, pushing open the Fat Lady's picture.

"Who's there?" she asked loudly.

"Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed. "I thought I was going to be stuck out here all night!"

"Shh," James cautioned him. "Do you want to wake up the whole school? You've been making enough noise to wake the _dead_, Padfoot!"

"Well, Filch kept me until midnight, polishing all those trophies—" Sirius started, but James shushed him.

"You can tell me in the common room," he said. "Just get in."

"Thanks, mate, you're a lifesaver," Sirius said, climbing in. He closed the portrait behind him loudly, causing the Fat Lady squawked indignantly.

"So, what happened?" James asked his friend, aware of Lily looking over at the two of them curiously.

"Well," Sirius said, "first of all, Filch got mad at me because I set off a couple of dungbombs in his office before detention, and he was worse than usual _during_ detention."

"What did you have to do?"

"Trophy Room," Sirius sighed. "You would think they'd get a little more creative; I must have polished those things at least three hundred times since First Year!" James laughed.

"They're _not_ creative, and you'd better be thankful that they aren't, otherwise you might be serving detention cleaning out the toilets."

"Yuck," Sirius said, making a face.

"I don't see why that should be a problem," Lily's voice cut in as she walked over to join them. "You blow up enough of the things every week; you should be used to the smell."

"It's not the smell," Sirius said. "They made us clean the Slytherin toilets once." He shuddered. "Cleaning up after Snivellus…_gross_." Lily laughed.

"Go on with your story, Pad—Sirius," James said, catching himself before he gave away Sirius' nickname. Lily looked at him strangely, but said nothing.

"So Filch made me clean those trophies five times over, until they were so shiny it hurt to look at them," Sirius continued. "He didn't let me go until after midnight. And _then_, I didn't remember the password, so I was stuck out there until you came, because the Fat Lady's just so bloody stubborn."

"The password's 'cherry bomb,' Sirius," Lily said. "Potter made it up."

"Hey!" James said. "I think it's better than your idea! What kind of password is 'fellytone,' anyways?"

"It's '_telephone_,'" Lily sighed exasperatedly. "And it's a Muggle thing; no one would say it randomly."

"Well, no one would say 'cherry bomb' randomly, either!" James exclaimed. "And Dumbledore said that my password was better, so there!"

"He did not!" Lily protested. "You went to him with your suggestion first; if I had got there sooner, he'd never have approved your password! It's ridiculous!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Will you two shut up?" Sirius cut in. "Remus is right; you're _worse_ than two year olds!"

"Shut it!" James exclaimed, turning to Sirius. He then turned back to Lily. "'Cherry bomb' is _not_ a stupid password!"

"It is too!" Lily retorted.

"Is not!" James said.

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not is not is not!"

"Is too is too is too!"

"SHUT UP!" Sirius bellowed. He rubbed his temples. "How you two can argue when it's so late is beyond me. I'm going to bed."

"Fair exchange for waking the rest of the tower, don't you think, Sirius?" Remus asked, coming down the stairs. James cocked his head to one side and realized that Remus was right; he could hear sounds of anger coming from both staircases, along with several cries of "Shut up!" and "Get your arse in bed!" 

"Not a pleasant lot after midnight, are they?" James asked.

"Is anyone?" Remus retorted.

"No," Lily said. She yawned widely. "Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm going to bed; I'm exhausted." She climbed up the stairs to the girls' dormitories, bidding Remus and Sirius goodnight. She simply glared at James for a few seconds before turning back around and entering her dorm.

"Me too," Sirius said. "C'mon Remus, let's go."

"Wait a minute," Remus told his friend. He turned to James. "Coming, Prongs?"

"You guys go on up," James said, suppressing a yawn. "I'll be up in a minute." Remus nodded, and beckoned to Sirius. The two boys climbed up the stairs to their dorm, and 

James heard the door close behind them as he turned his gaze to the fire. As it flickered, he was reminded of someone whose temper mirrored the blazing flames when they were around him. He sighed.

Why _did_ he and Lily dislike each other so much? In the beginning, each had just rubbed the other the wrong way—Lily was the goody-two-shoes, and James the mischief-maker, the rule-breaker—but that really did not explain almost six years of loathing each other. James often wondered why he had found Lily attractive in Fifth Year; she had not changed significantly, and there had not been anything to explain his sudden infatuation. Sure, they had gone back to hating each other by the start of Sixth Year, but James could never hate Lily the way he had before. More often than not, James would look back on their never-ending fights with a tinge of regret, thinking of how things would be if he and Lily got along. He would be able to see her green eyes light up when she was happy, watch as she tossed her red hair back when she laughed so that it glowed in the sun, see her cheeks flush when she was excited…

James groaned and buried his head in his hands. Sirius was going to have a field day.

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**A/N: **Chapter 3, everyone! And now comes the part where I thank all the wonderful people who reviewed Chapter 2! 

**LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR: **Thanks! Maybe we know what Sirius is going to do, maybe not…he always does something I don't intend for him to do…I'm honored you've put this on your favorites list! Thank you so much!

**Berlas:** Wow, lots of adjectives. Thank you! Maybe Padfoot will do that to Snivellus, maybe he won't…you'll just have to wait and see!

**LimeJuiceTub:** Maybe Sirius will make Snivellus declare his undying love for Professor McGonagall, maybe not…things always turn out differently from what I intend for them to be. As for my summary…I had the idea bouncing around in my head for a while: I asked myself what I would do if I had to write an interesting summary…I'm glad you like it! Thanks!

**stephy chan:** Thanks! In response to your comment about Bill, I went on the Harry Potter lexicon (www.hp-lexicon.com) and checked, and it said that Bill _was_ in school with Lily and James, although younger. However, he would have had to graduate by 1981, which means that, at the latest, he started Hogwarts in 1973, and my story is set in 1977, so…yeah, I guess that was a mistake. But as he doesn't show up any more in my story, I don't really think I need to correct that…Thanks for pointing it out, anyway!

**child-of-scorpio:** Ah, always glad to meet a fellow insane person. You really thought it was that funny? I feel warm and fuzzy…it took me ages to think of a prank that wasn't clichéd…Thanks!

**FrightninglyObsessed:** Thanks! We all think we know what Sirius is going to do, but you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? 

**MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus:** Thanks!

**Hogwarts-Drama-Queen:** Lol. I'm glad you like Sirius, and I'm glad you think my OCs are convincible; I do try. And of _course_ I understand why Sirius has to be a spaz…you don't think I'd forget, do you? *wink*

**fizban hat:** Sorry to burst your bubble, but I keep Sirius under very high security. You'd have to get through three mountain trolls, five giants, and ten dragons before you got him, and _then_, you'd have to get past them again to get out. So kidnapping Sirius isn't very realistic, but I'll make sure that he has lots of sugar to keep you happy! Hey, I'm a loser too…Go losers! Yes, I do feel bad for Remus and Peter…and yes, Lily _is_ a very naughty girl. Lol. I sent you an e-mail about the Dorcas/Marlene/Alice question; if you didn't get it, tell me and I'll e-mail it again. Thanks for reviewing!

**J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Erin):** Thanks!

**jess131346:** And you get _two_ cookies for reviewing Chapter 2! Lol. Yes, I'm going to have lots of fun with Sirius…Thanks!

**ThreeEaredBunny:** Thanks! I'm honored that you think I'm true to J.K. Rowling's books…But some of the best fics I've read are A/U, so…anyways…Yeah, everyone likes Sirius, and I'm still trying to figure out _why_…Lol!

**Christy Corr:** Thanks about the cliché warning…but…*winces* the cliché you've described is something that gets on my nerves too, so I do my best to avoid it. I hate those "perfect" little worlds where Lily hooks up with James and all her other friends start dating the Marauders…doesn't work for me; not everything in life turns out that way. And I don't really think that Lily's friends pushed her into realizing her feelings for James…she's going to have to figure it out on her own. Yes, I love to torture my characters. Also, as far as the Snape-McGonagall incident, I'm not sure how I'm going to do it yet…you'll just have to wait and see (as will I)! Thanks for reviewing!

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Thanks to all of you who reviewed! 40 reviews for three chapters; that's a little more than 13 reviews per chapter! Thanks so much, and keep reviewing…you're what keeps me writing!

-Eos


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the _Harry Potter _series.

**Summary:** Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible." It was the only thing she and James agreed upon. 

**A/N:** This isn't up to my usual standard, but I hope you enjoy it all the same…

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_INCOMPATIBLE_

CHAPTER 4 

"Lily, wake up!" Marlene yelled at her red-haired friend, pulling on her robes. Lily was the only girl in her dormitory still asleep; Dorcas was brushing her hair, and Alice packing her bag.

"Don' wanna," Lily muttered, turning over and settling into her pillow.

"Let me do it," Dorcas said, coming up to Lily's bed. "Lily!" she exclaimed. "Classes start in five minutes!"

"Five more minutes, Mum," Lily muttered. Her eyes shot open and she sat up. "Five minutes?" she screeched. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" She jumped out of bed and rushed around, getting ready for school in record time. She then grabbed her bag, rushing out of the dormitory. The other three girls looked at each other.

"She's going to kill you, Dorcas," Alice said, grinning. Dorcas grinned back.

"Well, it's her own fault for not setting an alarm," she said. "Then she would have known she has a full hour." They fell silent, listening attentively.

"DORCAS MEADOWES!" Lily bellowed from the common room. The other three girls fell about laughing as they heard her stomp up the stairs. Alice grabbed her bag, standing up.

"Good luck, Dorcas!" she said, rushing out. Marlene followed her quickly. They passed Lily, who was red-faced with anger, on the stairs. The two girls almost started laughing again, but held in their giggles until they reached the common room, where they burst out laughing.

"'Morning, Alice, 'Lene," James said, coming down the stairs from his dormitory. They waved at him, holding onto each other for support. Marlene was crying tears of laughter, and James stared at the two of them. Alice took a few deep breaths, and managed to calm herself down.

"'Morning, James," she said, gasping. 

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Lily," Marlene panted. 

"Oh, that was Evans I heard shouting down the tower?" he asked, grinning. "What did Dorcas do this time?"

"We couldn't get Lily to wake up, and Dorcas told her that classes start in," Alice checked her watch, "two minutes." 

"And she got so agitated she had to jump out of bed?" James asked, chortling.

"Of course," Marlene said. "You know how Lily is about classes; she got ready in two minutes flat." James grinned.

"Give Dorcas my regards," he said. "That's better than any of the other pranks I've played on Evans; much more effective." He walked out of the portrait hole, chortling. 

"Shouldn't they be down by now?" Alice asked Marlene after they had spent a few minutes waiting for their friends. Marlene shook her head, her brown curls flopping from side to side.

"You know Lily as I do, Alice," she said. "She's going to get ultimate revenge on Dorcas, which includes yelling, screaming, and an endless attack of hexes."

"Oh, I do hope that Dorcas will be okay," Alice said, and Marlene snorted. 

"You worry too much, Al," she said. "Dorcas has _always_ been fine after Lily explodes at her, albeit a little…off-color." Alice laughed, remembering the last time Dorcas had been subjected to Lily's wrath: Lily had turned Dorcas blue, and refused to give her the countercurse. Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, had been unable to turn Dorcas back, and the poor girl had had to stay blue for a week, after which Lily had forgiven her and restored her friend's natural color. 

Everyone had learned not to be on the receiving end of Lily's famed red-headed temper (which was so famous because it was usually directed at James Potter) a week into the school year. She had cursed James to sing, "God save the Queen" every time he opened his mouth; he had been making fun of her difficulties in Transfiguration. Of course, what was even funnier was that it was a Muggle song, and therefore James was constantly forgetting the words and making some up, although he remembered the tune (which he couldn't sing; Sirius used to joke that the day James Potter could sing would be the day the sun rose in the West). Also, Lily's being in First Year, and therefore not wholly skilled in magic, might have affected the outcome of the spell. Finally, Professor McGonagall, taking pity on the rest of the school, had reversed the curse and given Lily a detention, although everyone could have sworn that she had bestowed a rare smile upon the redhead for performing such advanced magic. 

Of course, even though everyone had learned not to aggravate Lily, two people still did: James Potter and Dorcas Meadowes. James did it because, well, he loved to make Lily mad, and Dorcas, on the other hand, said she enjoyed the experience of being another color for a week. (She would revert to sarcasm whenever she felt embarrassed; it was her way of covering up her feelings.) 

Just then, Lily came down, wearing an extremely satisfied expression. Alice sighed.

"What did you do to her _now_, Lily?" she asked her friend. 

"You'll see," Lily said, smiling as she picked up her bag, which she had discarded on the common room table, and walking out the portrait hole. Marlene shook her head as the portrait closed. 

"That's never a good sign," she said. "The last time I saw her wearing that smirk was the time she turned James' hair green and silver the day before the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch game last year." Alice laughed. 

"Wasn't that why James wore a hat that match?" she asked. Marlene nodded.

"Lots of girls were disappointed," she laughed. "They _so_ wanted to see his famous messy hair." Alice laughed again.

"What's so funny?" Dorcas asked, coming down the stairs.

"We were just remembering the time Lily turned James' hair green and silver the day before the Gryffindor-Slytherin match last year," Marlene said. 

"I remember that!" Dorcas said. "Didn't James send Lily a Howler after that?" The other two girls laughed, and then Alice looked up at their friend.

"Dorcas!" she exclaimed in horror. "What happened?"

"Lily," Dorcas said, grinning. She was hovering above the floor. Two huge wings had sprouted from her back, beating heavily. "I really should thank her; these are going to be so much fun." Alice shook her head. 

"Only you would see it that way, Dorcas," she said. "You should know better than to provoke Lily!"

"It's fun," Dorcas said. "You should try it sometime."

"No thanks," Marlene said, standing up and swinging her bag over her shoulder. "I don't much fancy walking around with my feet on backwards." Dorcas laughed. 

"Tell Lily to do that to James next time he bugs her," she said. "She'll love it."

"Dorcas!" Alice exclaimed, standing up. "You shouldn't promote that kind of behavior in either of them."

"Yes, Mum," Dorcas said, grinning. "I'll try to remember that in the future." Alice shook her head, walking out of the portrait hole.

"Think she realizes she left her bag here?" Marlene asked her hovering friend with a grin.

"Nah," Dorcas said. "She's too focused on getting to Lily before we do, and preventing any Lily-James disasters."

"We'll have them anyways," Marlene said, walking to the portrait hold. She turned around just before climbing into it. "Oh, and James said to congratulate you on irritating Lily that much. To quote him, 'That's better than any of the other pranks I've ever played on Evans.'" 

"I'll thank him at breakfast," Dorcas said, flapping her wings and flying over to the portrait hole. She landed on the floor. "Let's go." The two climbed through the portrait hole—Dorcas had some difficulty fitting her wings through—and walked down to the Great Hall.

***

James walked into the Great Hall and sat down next to Remus, who was calmly eating his porridge and reading a book. Sirius rushed in and sat across from them, bouncing up and down in his seat. James sighed.

"How much sugar, Remus?" he asked. Remus looked up at Sirius and rolled his eyes. 

"None, actually," the werewolf said, returning his gaze to his book. "But he's definitely excited about something."

"Have you guys seen Snivellus?" Sirius asked eagerly, still bouncing up and down. 

"No, and stop your bouncing, Sirius," James said. His hyperactive friend plopped down on his seat, but could not sit still; within a few seconds, he was shifting uncontrollably. James buried his head in his hands.

"We won't get any peace until Snivellus shows up," he said to Remus, who was still focused on his book. 

"Lovely," Remus said absently. His head shot up. "Did you say Snivellus?"

"Yes," James sighed. Both his friends were going insane. "And have you seen Peter?"

"Haven't you?"

"Not after he left," James said. "I was the only one in the dorm when I left. He said he was coming down."

"Maybe he had some homework he forgot to finish," Remus suggested.

"Maybe," James said. He looked over at the doors. "Oh, look, there's Evans!" 

"Why are you so interested in Lily all of a sudden, James?" Remus asked, closing his book and putting it down. At James' questioning glance, he answered, "I'm never going to get any reading done with all this noise."

"I'm not interested in Evans," James protested. "'Lene just told me that she was in a temper this morning because Dorcas woke her up and told her that she only had a couple of minutes until classes begun. I just wanted to see if she was right." Remus looked over at Lily, who had just sat down a few seats away from them and waved at her. She waved back, her green eyes sparkling in the morning sunlight streaming from the bewitched ceiling. 

"She doesn't look mad," Remus said. 

"Maybe she's already got her revenge on Dorcas," James suggested. "Then she'd be happy."

"I guess," Remus said. Just then, Peter entered the Great Hall and slipped into the seat beside Sirius. 

"Morning, James, Remus," he said. The chubby boy immediately reached for a plate of pancakes, heaping them onto his plate and drenching them in maple syrup. He looked over at Sirius, who had recommenced his bouncing. "You guys know what's wrong with Sirius?" he asked. James and Remus shook their heads.

"Nah," James said, "but we think it has something to do with a prank on Snivellus—speak of the devil!" For the doors to the Great Hall had burst open with a loud crash, revealing the dark form of Severus Snape, his hair as greasy as ever. Sirius stopped his bouncing, eyeing Snape with a glint in his eye. Remus groaned; he knew that glint. Snape was about to be humiliated beyond his wildest nightmares. The entire hall watched as Snape walked up to the High Table and stopped directly in front of Minerva McGonagall, who looked as surprised as the rest of the school. 

"_Sonorous_," Sirius whispered, pointing his wand at Snape. The black-haired Slytherin knelt in front of the Transfiguration professor and opened his mouth to speak. His voice, magically magnified to ten times its normal volume, reverberated around the Hall. 

"Minerva," he said, his voice lacking its usual sarcastic tone, "I love you madly." The entire school, with a few exceptions, burst out laughing, almost missing the rest of Snape's speech. "I burn with desire for you. Every fiber of my being aches to be near you; I will always love you. Please, make me the happiest man alive and say you'll be mine." He took Professor McGonagall's hand in his. She immediately removed it from his grasp and looked around the Hall, apparently lost for words—a first, James noted. 

"_Fini—finite incantatem_," Sirius gasped, pointing his wand at Snape once more, tears of laughter streaming down his face. Sirius then whispered another spell—James could not quite catch it, but was sure that Sirius was covering up his tracks, so to speak; the boys had had several nasty incidents involving _priori incantatem_. 

At the front of the Hall, Snape blinked and shook his head, looking around. Once he realized what was going on—he was kneeling in front of his Transfiguration professor, who was looking down at him in shock, and the rest of the school was laughing—it only took him a few seconds to put two and two together. 

"Potter! Black!" he yelled in fury, his face turning red. He stormed over to where the four Seventh Year Gryffindor boys were sitting, laughing uproariously. They quickly composed themselves, each looking very innocent—especially Sirius. 

"You yelled, Snivelly?" Sirius asked, looking up at the dark-eyed Slytherin.

"I know you did this," Snape spat.

"We're afraid we don't know what you mean," James said. "After all, you just proclaimed your undying love for McGonagall. It's kind of hard to understand what you're accusing us of."

"You made me do that!" Snape yelled, pointing at McGonagall, who had just recovered from her shock and was storming over to them, looking as if she could breathe fire. The entire Hall was now watching the proceedings, highly amused.

"I don't know what you intended by that, Mister Snape," she said, "but it was entirely inappropriate. Fifty points from Slytherin."

"But Professor!" Snape exclaimed. "It wasn't my fault! It's Potter and Black—they made me do it!"

"Do you have proof of that claim, Mister Snape?" McGonagall asked, looking at James and Sirius.

"Test their wands—I'm sure they did it!" Snape exclaimed. McGonagall sighed. 

"Very well," she said. "Mister Potter, Mister Black, hand over your wands."

"Certainly," Sirius said. He and James gave her their wands, and she pulled her own out, pressing it to the tip of James' wand. 

"_Priori incantatem_," she said. A ghostly image of James' robes appeared; the last spell he had performed was summoning his robes to him from the mess on the dormitory floor. "_Deletrius_," McGonagall said, and the image disappeared. "_Priori_ _incantatem_," she repeated the process with Sirius' wand, and an image of shoes tying their own laces appeared. She deleted the image, returned the boys' wands, and turned to Snape. 

"A further twenty points, Mister Snape, for accusing others of something they did not do," she said sternly. "And you will join Mister Filch for detention tonight at eight in the Trophy Room. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly, Professor," Snape said sullenly. He shot a malicious glare at the four boys before slouching away to the Slytherin table. Professor McGonagall watched him go before walking briskly back to the High Table. As soon as she was out of earshot, James and Sirius started laughing again.

"Did you see his face?" James asked gleefully. "Why didn't you tell us you were doing that, Sirius?"

"I wanted to keep it a secret," Sirius said, grinning. "That was the perfect way to lighten up a Friday morning, don't you think?"

"Of course it was," Peter agreed. "But whatever possessed you to do it?"

"Tell you later," Sirius said. He quickly grabbed his bag, a piece of toast, and dashed out of the hall. The other three stared after him, wondering why he had left in such a hurry. The answer was revealed when James realized that Lily was standing behind the place where Sirius had been seated, arms akimbo.

"Where'd Sirius go?" she asked, surprised.

"He just realized that he'd forgotten his Transfiguration essay in the Tower," James lied smoothly. "What do you want, Evans?"

"You four did that to Snape, didn't you?" she asked, narrowing her green eyes at him.

"We didn't, Lily," Remus assured her. "Well, at least, we three didn't…"

"You mean that Sirius did that on his own?" she asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Yes," Peter said. "You're not going to tell on him, are you?"

"Tell on him?" she asked, looking surprised. "Why would I tell on him?"

"Well, he pranked Snivellus—" Peter started, but Lily waved his comment away.

"That was excellent!" she exclaimed. The other three boys stared at her.

"Who are you and what have you done with Lily Evans?" Remus asked finally. Lily laughed, and James started; she rarely laughed around him. Her laugh was one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard, sounding light and bell-like. _Snap out of it, Prongs,_ he thought, focusing on Lily again.

"Now, let's see," she said, thinking. "I'm Petunia Evans, and Lily is at home, tied up in the basement." Remus laughed loudly while the other two boys looked at her in confusion, not understanding the joke. 

"Petunia's my sister, and the worst Muggle I've ever met," she explained. "She hates all things magic, and therefore, doesn't like me. But really, I needed a break from all the work we've been having, and that didn't hurt anyone—except for Snape's pride, and he needed to be taken down a few pegs." She grinned. "If you see Sirius, congratulate him for me, will you?" 

"Of course," Remus said. James was still staring at Lily in shock as she waved at them and waltzed out of the Hall, her bag slung over her shoulder.

"See something you like, Prongs?" Peter asked his messy-haired friend.

"Yeah," James said, still staring at Lily's back. He jumped as Remus and Peter laughed. 

"I don't think Sirius needed to do that prank, Prongs," Remus said, standing and putting his book into his bag as he swung it over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" James asked, confused. He stood up, too, and grabbed his bag. Peter followed them as they left the Great Hall on their way to Charms, their first class of the day.

"Remember our first night back, when you said, 'The day I like Lily Evans is the day Snape professes his undying love for McGonagall'?" Remus asked James. James looked at his friend in surprise.

"You mean _that's_ why he did that this morning?" he asked. Remus nodded, and James shook his head. "I can't believe he'd do that to me," he said. 

"Oh yes you can," Peter said. "You know Padfoot." James sighed.

"I know," he said. "But still! I don't understand what the fascination you four have with me fancying on Evans is!"

"It's because you _do_, Prongs," Sirius said, coming and joining them. "So, did everyone's favorite fireball explode at you guys?"

"Nah," Remus said, grinning. "She said to congratulate you, Padfoot." Sirius tripped over himself, falling flat on his rear end.

"She _what?_" he asked in shock. He stood up, rubbing his bottom. "You're joking!"

"Not at all," Remus replied dryly. "She said she needed a break, and that the prank didn't hurt anyone, so she's okay with it."

"The world is coming to an end," Sirius said, dramatically flopping onto the ground again. His head hit the stone, and he sat up immediately, clutching his head. "Ow," he moaned. "That _hurt._"

"Serves you right," Peter said. "That was pure idiocy, Padfoot."

"Shut it," Sirius said, standing up. "Prongs, you have to admit that you like Lily."

"I _don't_," James protested. 

"Then please explain why you were staring at her this morning as if she was the most beautiful person you've ever seen," Peter said. 

"Well, she _is_ pretty," James admitted. "But that doesn't mean I fancy her!" he exclaimed, upon seeing Sirius open his mouth. 

"Yes, you do," Remus said. "_Anyone_ can see it, Prongs; it's there in plain sight."

"Shut it," James said. He stopped walking; they had come to the Charms classroom. "And if any of you three say that I like Evans one more time, I will personally hit you over the head with a cleaver." And with that, he walked into the class, leaving his friends staring at each other.

"Since when did Prongs start giving out death threats?" Peter asked.

"Since he realized that he fancies our dear Miss Evans," Sirius said, tapping the side of his nose knowledgeably.

"Padfoot, just give it up," Remus said, walking into class. "You know that Prongs is never going to give in."

"And neither am I," Sirius said determinedly. He walked over and sat next to James, watching the door. He suddenly jerked up. "What the—?" Dorcas had just entered the room, hovering above the ground. James grinned.

"So this is Evans' revenge, Dorcas?" he called to her. She grinned back.

"Yep," she said. "I have to thank her; it's so much easier to get to class now." 

"Speaking of Evans, where is she?" James asked, looking around. "She left the Great Hall a while before we did."

"Probably trying to convince Professor McGonagall that it isn't her fault Dorcas is suddenly impersonating an owl," Marlene replied, entering and slipping into her seat next to Dorcas. The others laughed as Alice entered, Lily right behind her. 

"How'd it go, Lily?" Dorcas asked her. Lily grinned.

"She can't prove it was me, so she can't give me a detention," she said. "And you're not going to tell her if you don't want your feet on backwards." Dorcas laughed.

"I wasn't intending to," she said. "I like my wings." Lily laughed. 

"I'll have to think of something new, then," she said. "I can't have you liking my revenge, now can I?"

"Of course you can," Dorcas said. "It's called helping a friend. I helped you this morning, and you did me a good turn as thanks." Lily shook her head, smiling. 

"You're insane, Dorcas," she said.

"And proud of it," Dorcas retorted. Just then, the bell rang, and Professor Flitwick rushed in, cutting off all further conversation. They were learning Protean Charms, and, to James' chagrin, Lily was able to perform hers on the first try, while his rocks firmly refused to change in any way or form. He was in a temper when he left Charms, heading for Double Potions with the Slytherins (the Gryffindors would forever wonder why they shared classes at all, when neither House could stand the other), which was not always the best thing.

Potions was taught by Professor Malotier, an elderly man who was the Head of Slytherin House. (Professor McGonagall was Head of Gryffindor, and the rivalry between the two teachers was legendary; it was said that they refused to talk to each other in the two weeks before and after a Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match.) Of course, like all the other Heads of Slytherin, he despised the Gryffindors, especially James, who, in his eyes, was the very embodiment of everything Gryffindor. Thus, he took every opportunity he could to make James look bad and portray Snape, his favorite student, in a good light. To further this, he always paired the two together when they were having a practical lesson (or he would pair James with Lily, knowing how much the two hated each other). When James went to Potions in a bad mood, it inevitably ended badly for him.

As soon as James slammed his bag down on his table, he knew he was in for a bad time. Malotier was looking at him with the glint in his eye that always meant he was going to get James, and James did _not_ want to think of whatever fresh method of torture the Potions Master had thought up. As soon as the bell rang, Malotier started.

"You should have finished researching your Memory Potions by now," he said. "Today, you will be brewing them with a partner." James' head shot up; he had forgotten to finish his essay on Memory Potions. _I'm dead_, he thought, as Malotier looked over at him. It was almost as if the Professor _knew_ that James had not finished his homework…but no, that was impossible. However, Malotier's next comment caused the entire class to panic. 

"To see how much you have retained, I will be collecting your essays _before_ you start working." The students looked around worriedly, with two exceptions: both Lily Evans and Severus Snape appeared unperturbed by the information. Malotier continued to drop bombshells on them. 

"I will also be pairing you up; you shall not pick your partners." He looked over at James and Sirius, who were sitting next to each other. "If not, we may have…problems." James immediately knew that he was referring to the numerous times Snape's cauldron had exploded, or that his potion had turned out terribly wrong.

"Potter!" the teacher barked. James immediately sat up straighter.

"Yes, sir?" he asked Malotier.

"Your essay," the Professor commanded. James shrugged.

"I didn't finish it," he said calmly. 

"I see," Malotier said. "Detention, Potter, and ten points from Gryffindor. Now, did anyone else fail to complete the assignment?" The class was silent. "All right, then; pass up your papers." There was a flurry of movement as each student fumbled in their bags for their essays and passed them to the front of the room. After having collected the assignment, the Professor faced the class once more. 

"I will now assign your partners," he said. "These will be your partners for the rest of the term, so pay attention!" James tuned out, watching his classmates move around but not really attentive, until Malotier called out, "Potter! Evans!" _Thank Merlin I'm not with Snape,_ James thought, gathering his things and walking over to sit beside Lily as the Potions Master called out, "Black! Snape!" Lily laughed.

"I almost pity Snape," she said, grinning. 

"I don't," James said. "The git doesn't deserve any pity."

"Why, what's he ever done to you?" Lily asked him sharply, turning to face him. James was forcibly reminded of another time when Lily had asked him the same question, and winced when he thought of his answer: _"Well…it's more the fact that he _exists_, if you know what I mean…"_

"Potter?" Lily asked, waving her hand in front of his face, jerking him out of the memory. "You didn't answer my question."

"You know what he's like, Evans," James said curtly. "He thinks Muggleborns are scum—"

"Just like every other Slytherin," she cut in. James proceeded, not paying any attention to what she was saying. 

"He hates all Gryffindors—"

"Again, like every other Slytherin."

"And worst, he wants Remus expelled." Lily looked at James in surprise; this was something she had been unaware of. She had certainly been aware of the rivalry between James' group of friends and Severus Snape, but had not realized that Snape's dislike of the boys was so intense. And…_Remus?_ Why would Snape hate _Remus _so much? If anything, Remus was the only one who could restrain Sirius and James when it came to Snape!

"Snape came across Remus in his you-know-what form at that time of the month," James explained in a low voice. "I'll tell you some other time." He jerked his head to the front of the class, where Malotier was standing, waiting for the class to settle down.

"You will find all the ingredients you need in the cupboard," the Professor said, gesturing to the closet where the Potions stores were kept. "You may begin." 

"So," James said, turning to Lily, "what do we need?" Lily sighed in exasperation.

"Did you even _start_ the assignment?" she asked him. 

"Of course I did!" James explained. "I just had other things to do!"

"Things such as pranking Snape?" Lily asked snidely. James flushed slightly.

"Not really," he said.

"Oh, don't lie to me!" she exclaimed. "You didn't even help me patrol the hallways after hours!"

"We're supposed to do that?" he asked in surprise. Lily sighed, burying her head in her hands. 

"Why Dumbledore made you Head Boy, I'll never know," she groaned. She then straightened up. "All right, getting back to the potion, we need scarab beetles, root of asphodel, bundimun secretion, armadillo bile, jobberknoll feathers, horned toads, knotgrass—"

"Whoa, whoa," James said, cutting her off. "Can you write that down?"

"Sure," she said, pulling out a piece of parchment and writing the ingredients on it. "Now go and get these, and make sure you have the right amounts." 

"All right," James said. He pushed his way to the front of the store cupboard, taking careful attention to stepping on Snape's feet. The greasy-haired Slytherin yelped in pain and started hopping around, clutching his foot and bumping into several people and tables, knocking them over and effectively causing chaos. Faster than James could say, "bundimun," Malotier was on the site.

"What's the matter, Snape?" he asked, concerned.

"Potter stepped on my foot!" the Slytherin howled, still clutching his toes. "I think it's broken, sir."

"Very well," Malotier said. He looked over at James, who was trying his best to look innocent. "Fifteen points from Gryffindor, Mister Potter, for violence. Miss Black, please escort Mister Snape to the Hospital Wing." Bellatrix Black, Sirius' dark-haired Slytherin cousin, stood up, smirking at Sirius and James, and helped Snape leave the classroom. "And why is there a sheet of parchment in your hand, Potter?" Malotier asked.

"Umm…I needed a list of the ingredients in the potion," James said.

"And why did you need this list?"

"Because I couldn't remember what we need to make it, sir."

"Could that possibly be because you did not do your essay?" Malotier asked maliciously.

"Possibly, sir," James replied.

"A further five points from Gryffindor for irresponsibility, and give me that parchment." James sullenly handed over the parchment, and Malotier walked back up to the front of the dungeon. The entire class was staring at James. 

"Well? What are you looking at?" he asked irritably. "There's nothing to see!" The others turned back to their cauldrons, the exception being Sirius, who walked over to the cupboard, pulling out the ingredients he needed.

"Good job, Prongs," he muttered under his breath as James tried to remember what Lily had said. "You've got rid of Snivellus for the whole class; I don't have to bother with him!"

"Well, I'm glad you're happy, but I can't figure out what the hell I need!" James whispered back fiercely. 

"Then ask Lily!"

"She'll kill me!"

"As if she doesn't do that every day?" Sirius asked.

"Good point," James said. He walked back to the table he was sharing with Lily. 

"Do you have the ingredients we need?" she asked, starting a fire under their cauldron.

"Um…"

"Of course you wouldn't," she continued, straightening up and looking at him. "What am I thinking?" As James opened his mouth to protest, she kept going. "Watch the fire—you _can_ do that, can't you?"

"Of course I can!" James exclaimed. "But—"

"Good," Lily cut him off. "I'll get the ingredients."

"But—I—_Evans!_" But Lily was already at the store cupboard. Within a minute, she returned and meticulously started measuring out the bundimun secretion.

"Here," she said, pushing the scarab beetles towards James, along with a mortar and pestle. "You need to crush all of these." James, realizing that it was no use arguing with her, obeyed wordlessly. 

The rest of the class proceeded in this manner, with the occasional explosion and cry of frustration as the students erred; Memory Potions were very difficult to make, and when not properly brewed, they were extremely volatile. Several students had to make their way up to the Hospital Wing, and Malotier became increasingly angry as it became evident that James and Lily would not mess up their potion. Finally, just seconds before the bell rung, their potion turned the pale sky blue that it was supposed to be. James bottled the solution while Lily started to wash her hands. 

"Make two samples," she said over the rush of water. James rolled his eyes but did as she had said; he had had experiences with the Potions Professor knocking his samples over, causing him to lose all his hard work. Just to make certain, he placed an Unbreakable Charm on both of them before turning them in. He then washed his hands under the gargoyle spout as Lily turned to the cauldron. 

"_Evanesco_," she said, and the bubbling blue solution disappeared. Just then, the bell rang and they left.

"You were talking about how Snape came across Remus at that time of the month?" Lily asked as they walked to lunch. Dorcas and Alice had all gone to the Hospital Wing after Rodolphus Lestrange's cauldron had exploded next to them, and Peter had succeeded in melting his cauldron (Marlene and Remus did not take Potions, instead choosing to take Ancient Runes). Sirius had gone ahead, having finished his potion well before the bell rang.

"Oh, that," James said. "Not here; I'll explain it to you after classes."

"All right," she said. "When's your detention?"

"Eight tonight," he replied promptly. "As usual." She sighed.

"I guess that means I'll be patrolling alone tonight—_again_."

"Why not ask Remus to go with you?"

"He was assigned to go with Elphias Doge," Lily replied. "You were my assigned partner."

"I'm sorry; I honestly didn't know," James said, as they entered the Great Hall.

"How can you not know?" she asked, exasperated. "I mentioned it the very first Prefect meeting!"

"On the train?"

"Yes!"

"Oh," James said. "That explains it."

"Why, weren't you listening?"

"Um…would you kill me if I said no?"

"You weren't, then," Lily said. "Why can't you ever be responsible?"

"Hey!" James exclaimed. "I'm captain of the Quidditch team!"

"And that just requires so much responsibility that you don't have any time to pay attention in Prefect meetings," Lily said sarcastically.

"Of course," James said. "It's terribly stressful." 

"You're an ass, you know that?" she asked.

"No, I wasn't aware of that," James said. "But thank you for informing me of the fact. I'll be sure to take note of it." Lily sat down at the table and buried her head in her hands as James sat next to her.

"Will you ever grow up?" she asked.

"Nope," James said proudly. "I'll stay a boy forever!" She sighed. 

"You're hopeless."

"And proud of it." Lily shook her head. 

"I'm going to go sit with sane people," she said, getting up.

"Hey!" James exclaimed. "Are you saying that I've lost my mind?"

"What if I am?"

"I'd say you're absolutely right and ask if it's taken you this long to realize it." 

"That's it," Lily said. "I'm going to go sit with Marlene. And as for patrols, you don't have to do it; you'll just have to do all the Heads Reports on your own every week." She grinned and walked over to sit next to Marlene. 

"Were you just having a civil conversation with James, Lily?" Marlene asked, eating a piece of shepherd's pie.

"Strangely enough, I was," Lily said, helping herself to a sandwich. "He's utterly insane."

"And you've just realized this?"

"I never really talked to him properly before," Lily reminded her friend. "It's understandable."

"No it's not; you should have tried to get to know him." Lily set down her sandwich and fixed Marlene with her deep green eyes.

"'Lene, I had a perfectly good reason not to try to get along with him," she said. "He was a prat—he still is, although he's a bearable prat now. And we were never meant to get along, anyway."

"You are now," Marlene pointed out.

"A minor point," Lily said, waving her friend's comment away. "Before long, we'll be arguing and it'll be as things have never changed."

"For the sake of your sanity and ours, I hope not," Marlene said. "I really hope not."

***

"So, Prongs," Sirius said, bouncing on his bed, "you never admitted your love for Lily." It was well past midnight, and James had just returned from his detention, which had not been as bad as James had feared. He had simply had to clean out the bedpans in the Hospital Wing, which was nothing new for him. 

"I never said I loved her," James retorted, climbing into his bed. "I don't know where you've got that from."

"So you admit that you fancy her?"

"Did I say that either?"

"It's in plain sight, Prongs," Sirius said, stopping his bouncing and becoming serious—well, as serious as he could be. "Anyone with eyes can see that you're smitten." James sighed.

"Is saying yes all that it'll take to get you off my case?" he asked his friend.

"Yes," Sirius said. "But I'll also tease you for eternity and try to get the two of you together."

"It would never work, even should we like each other," James protested. "We're just too different."

"Opposites attract."

"Since when?"

"Since I said so."

"So then never," James said triumphantly, settling back against his headboard with a smirk.

"Shut up," Sirius said sullenly.

"You shut up; you're the one who insists that I fancy Lily!" James exclaimed. Wait; had he just called her _Lily?_ He prayed that Sirius had not noticed his slip-up, but it was too much to hope for.

"You just called her Lily!" Sirius exclaimed. "You _do_ like her!"

"Fine," James said in annoyance. "_Fine_. I fancy her, are you happy now?"

"Nope," Sirius said cheerfully.

"_Now_ what do you want?"

"You have to tell her that you like her."

"Oh, no," James said, sitting up and looking over at his friend. "I am _never_ telling her."

"So then what are you going to do about it?" Sirius asked. 

"I'm going to keep on as we are and I'll eventually stop fancying her, and things will be back to normal."

"Why can't you just accept the fact that you're carrying a flame for Lily as a natural part of you?" Sirius asked, frustrated.

"Because it's not!" James exclaimed. "We're just not meant to be anything beyond acquaintances!"

"So it's progressed from enemies now," Sirius said, grinning.

"No!" James protested. "That wasn't what I meant!"

"Then what _did_ you mean, Prongs?" Sirius asked.

"I…well…what I meant to say was…" James fumbled for an answer to his friend's question. "Oh, screw it. That _was_ what I meant." Sirius grinned. 

"Poor Prongs, he's all confused in his head," he said. He then yawned widely. "I'm going to sleep," he added. "But Prongs—all jokes aside, you really should try to tell Lily how you feel. You'll never get anywhere with her otherwise."

"What if I don't want to get anywhere with her?" James asked.

"Then you're an idiot," Sirius replied simply, drawing his hangings around his bed. Snores soon emitted from the area, a sure sign that he was asleep. James sighed, turning over. He was soon fast asleep, his dreams filled with a red-haired, green-eyed girl who smiled beatifically at him before kissing him.

James turned over in his sleep and grinned broadly.

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**A/N: **There's Chapter 4! I hope you liked it…And now is the part where I thank all the wonderful people who reviewed Chapter 3!

**LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR:** You're always first on the list of reviews because you review first…I do this in the order of when a person reviews…Lol. I know the whole "rubs you the wrong way" thing; I've dealt with it before, too. Thanks for your lovely comments!

**jess131346:** Yeah…we're all Dudleys at heart, aren't we? Mmm…cookie goodness…Lol. Yes, James does "lurve" Lily now…isn't it great? Thanks!

**LimeJuiceTub:** Yeah, I was having trouble writing the end…I was trying to figure out _where_ to end it. I'm glad you liked it, though. I've never really thought about the whole consequences if James keeps pranking the Slytherins, but I'll try and incorporate that sometime…it should come up in the next few chapters, if at all. And any ideas you have are always welcome…Thanks!

**child-of-scorpio:** I'm glad you feel happy. Yeah, Sirius really likes to make fun of James, but it's all in good fun…until someone gets hurt. (Lol; my brother and I say that all the time.) You think my story's "bloody brilliant" and true to canon? Aww…I feel so special now. Thanks!

**SoulAvenger**: Yeah, James has finally realized how much he likes Lily…I'm glad you like it; thanks!

**Hogwarts-Drama-Queen:** Again, the flying carrots thing was a random idea I came up with as I was writing, and, thinking about it, that's _just_ the kind of thing you'd like, isn't it? Lol. I'm glad your friend liked it. HAPPY EVERYTHING, too!

**J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Erin):** Thanks!

**dahae: **Aww…I feel so special. And as to my spelling…I can't _stand_ improper grammar/incorrect spelling. Lol. Thanks!

**Loraliant Angelisa Snape: **Yeah, Coke is always good…Mmm…caffeine. I left you a review regarding your question…if you didn't get it, let me know. Thanks!

**Monica:** Your reviews aren't boring; in fact, they're the best I've received! *Applause* Yeah…the whole "I feel this…" that goes on for an eternity bugs me…characters are so much better developed through actions & dialogue; I'm glad you agree with me there. As to the specific points you liked, yeah…I laughed at the Marlene thing when I was reading over it again, and _everyone_ loves a hyper Sirius! The conflict because of rivalry in subjects was a random thing, but I'm glad you like it! Yeah, the "Why do I care?" line is my favorite of all the ones I've written in this story. Oh goody, a patient reviewer! Lol. Thanks so much!

**Snidgetglass:** Glad you like it; thanks!

**munkylover256:** Thanks! 

**fizban hat:** Sorry, but I love Sirius too much to let other people borrow him. He's MINE! (Sorry, the chocolate's going to my brain…I'll calm down now.) It's okay about the e-mail; I know the feeling. Yes, the Fat Lady is cruel…Good luck with your studying! Thanks! 

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**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and keep reviewing! You make me feel so special…Don't forget to tell me what you think! Also, don't expect Chapter 5 anytime soon…I have _so_ much work to do…

~Eos


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the _Harry Potter _series.

**Summary:** Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible." It was the only thing she and James agreed upon. 

**A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to my friend Allison, who helped me go over it, and to angelgurl161, who wrote some _really_ nice things about this story in her fanfic, The Potter Boy. When you're finished with this, I command you to go out and read it. Also, a cookie goes to anyone who spots the _H.M.S. Pinafore_ reference! (Yeah, I'm a loser…what's new?)

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**_INCOMPATIBLE_**

CHAPTER FIVE

"I swear, if another Prefect asks if we can have a ball, I'll scream," Lily said, burying her face in her hands. It was late September; the biweekly Prefect meeting had just ended, and she and James were the only people still in the room. 

"I know the feeling," James said, grinning. "But why don't you just give them one and make them happy?"

"Do you know how much _planning_ is involved for a ball? Or any major event, for that matter?" she asked irritably, looking up. "It's virtually impossible to list all of the things you need to do! And guess who all the burden falls upon?"

"Us?" James asked.

"Damn straight," she replied. "And I will _not_ add preparing for a Ball to my already crazy schedule. I'm about ready to fall over from exhaustion."

"You look it," James said, gesturing to her appearance. Nights of constant studying were beginning to take their toll on Lily: her hair was slightly tousled, there were circles under her bleary, blood-shot eyes that were so dark that it looked as if her face was bruised, and she was paler than usual, her skin almost white. 

"You don't need to say it," Lily sighed, collecting her papers and standing up. "I still have to do that Transfiguration essay, and I have _no_ idea how I'm going to get it done by tomorrow morning. I can't afford to not hand in any of my assignments; I'm barely scraping an 'Acceptable' as it is."

"I have to finish the Potions and Charms essays," James said. "I'm just glad that Charms isn't due until Monday; I may actually pass on it this time." Lily grinned.

"Sounds just like my Transfiguration," she said. 

"Why don't we ever help each other?" he asked quietly, coming over to stand next to her. She backed away, feeling slightly uncomfortable at how close he was to her. While they had set aside their differences so they could perform their Heads duties without problems (James had finally started rounds with Lily a few days after she had mentioned them to him), she was still ill at ease around him. It was a complete turnaround from their previous relationship, and Lily, at least, was still slightly unsure of how to act around James.

"I…don't know," she replied, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "We're just never free at the same time, I guess."

"Yeah, right," James scoffed, walking forward. "You just don't want to accept help from anyone—least of all me. That's it, isn't it?"

"And if it is?" Lily retorted, getting angry. What right did he have to question her self-sufficiency? "You've never exactly given me a good reason to trust you! I don't know if you remember that incident with the flying carrots, but _I_ most certainly do!"

"Oh…that," James said, turning red.

"Yes, that," Lily said. "And as to me helping you in Charms, I refuse to give up any of the time _I_ need for studying to help you unless I will gain something from it. So unless you can prove to me that I can trust you—"

"And this past month hasn't been enough to convince you?" James asked her heatedly. "I've grown up, Evans. I'm not the 'arrogant, bullying toerag' that I was in Fifth Year any more, you know." Lily flushed.

"I know," she said. "I'm sorry. Maybe we can set up something later?"

"Later means that you're never going to do it," he said, leaning against the wall. "I know you, Evans."

"But that doesn't mean you know all of my little nuances!" she exclaimed, frustrated. "There's more to me than what you see!" James raised an eyebrow.

"I would hardly know that, since you don't show me anything beyond the furious, yelling Head Girl with a hot temper," he said. Lily opened her mouth as her face turned red with anger. "See?" he cut in, gesturing to her. "I don't know the other side of you; you just yell at me whenever I say anything." Lily took a deep breath, suppressing her rage; it was so hard to be around him without screaming bloody murder at him!

"All right," she said finally. "Let's set up a time. Wednesdays good for you?" James shook his head.

"Quidditch practice," he said. "Fridays?" Lily shook her head. 

"I promised Dorcas I'd help her with Potions on Fridays," she said. "But I help Remus catch up on Charms right after full moon every month; maybe you could come then?"

"That's only once a month," James pointed out. "What about Saturdays?"

"And if there's a Hogsmeade weekend?"

"We don't have to spend the whole day studying," he said. "Besides, if you're really dying to go to Hogsmeade, I could take you anytime you wanted to go." He suddenly realized that he had made a mistake as Lily looked at him appraisingly.

"Yes, I would expect you to have some method of getting to Hogsmeade without waiting for the arranged dates," she said. "You use more prank supplies than what I see you buying there each time, and there are those parties every time we win a Quidditch game—"

"Which is every time we have one," James cut in. Lily laughed.

"And you say you've changed, Potter?" she asked. "You're still arrogant, although you may have stopped your bullying." She tilted her head to one side, studying him. "I'm still trying to figure out what caused that change," she said. James's cheeks turned slightly pink and he ran his hand through his hair nervously, messing it up even more.

"I…er…decided to take my Head Boy responsibilities more seriously," he said, afraid she would not buy his explanation. To his surprise, she nodded approvingly.

"It's about time," she said, picking up her belongings and walking out of the classroom. "I'll catch you around, Potter."

"Wait!" James called, grabbing his bag and rushing out after her. He was unsure why he was following her, but the damage was already done.

"Yes?" she replied, turning around. 

"I need to talk to you," he said quickly, thinking up an excuse to talk even more with her.

"What about?" she asked.

"Where do we meet for these study sessions?" he asked.

"Library?" she suggested.

"I don't really see Madam Pince taking too well to the idea of our practicing spells in there," he said, grinning. "No offense, but you're not the best at Transfiguration, and my Charms…well…let's just say that they leave a lot to be desired." Lily laughed, her eyes lighting up, and James stared at her. She was so gorgeous when she laughed!

"You got that right," she said. "And none taken; you insulted yourself along with me." James laughed. 

"Glad to see you have a sense of humor, Evans," he said. She grinned.

"You just haven't seen it before," she said. "If you'd matured several years earlier…"

"Oh, shut it," James said, pushing her lightly, although he was grinning, too. 

"How about we just meet in the Common Room and figure out whether we want to go anywhere else then?" she suggested. 

"Sure," he said. "That sounds good. I'll ask McGonagall if we can use her room, too…she usually lets me use it when I need a space to practice."

"Okay, then," she said. "And if you're late, I swear I'll castrate you."

"We never set a time, Evans," James said. "How can you castrate me if you don't have a reason?"

"I'll find one," she said, grinning. "But fine…fiveish?" 

"All right," he said. "And if you try to castrate me, I'll think of something equally dire for you."

"Ooh, I'm _so_ scared," Lily said, flashing her brilliant smile at him. "Positively shaking in my bunny slippers."

"You should be," James said, returning her smile. "And you wear bunny slippers? Those I _have_ to see."

"Shut it," she said, slapping his arm lightly, although she was still smiling. They passed a window, in which the nearly full moon was visible. Almost immediately, their happy mood evaporated.

"Remus was looking a little peaky today," Lily said quietly. "How's he holding up? Full moon's in two nights, right?"

"Yeah," James said. "He's doing as well as can be expected; I wouldn't be surprised if he missed classes tomorrow." 

"Poor Remus," she sighed. "He doesn't deserve it."

"No, he doesn't," James said, although he felt a slight pang of jealousy. What did Remus have to warrant so much of Lily's attention that he, James, didn't? "Oh, and I promised Remus that if he was…um…indisposed, I'd switch with Elphias and do their patrol on my own; Elphias'll go with you. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course it is," Lily said, stopping; they had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "I'm glad you're doing that for him. He's lucky to have friends like you." She patted his arm lightly before saying the password ("fellytone"; Lily had decided that it was her turn to choose the password, and was poking fun at James' inability to say "telephone") and entering Gryffindor Tower. James stayed outside. He ignored the Fat Lady, who was telling him sternly to get in the tower or close the portrait, and stared at the place where Lily had disappeared. He then glanced down at his arm. Until now, Lily's only form of physical contact with him had been violent, so naturally, he was shocked. What had caused such a drastic change?

***

Lily waltzed into the Common Room, dropping her bag on the floor next to her usual seat.

"Hello!" she said merrily. Her friends, engrossed in their homework, murmured a greeting.

"You're cheerful today, Lily," Alice commented, glancing at her friend.

"I'll bet it's because she hexed James again," Dorcas said, looking at Lily. "What did you do to him his time, Lils?" she asked eagerly.

"Nothing," Lily said. "To tell you the truth, I'm unsure why I'm so cheerful. All I know is that I feel…well, happy. If I didn't know better, I'd say that someone had cast a Cheering Charm on me."

"But that can't be it," Marlene said, looking up. "So…what is it? Did the Prefect's meeting go well for once?"

"I wish," Lily sighed. "All the girls want to have a damn ball." 

"What's wrong with having a ball?" Alice asked. "I think they're perfectly lovely."

"For you, maybe," Lily said irritably. "But there's so much work and planning that comes with a ball, especially for the Heads; the teachers put all the major burdens on us, saying they're willing to help if we need it, but that we're expected to do as much as possible on our own. Neither Potter nor I have the time to do one, so unless you're willing to become Temporary Head Girl, we are _not_ having a ball. We may have a fair or something at the very end of the year to celebrate the end of exams, and we'll have the Hallowe'en Feast, but that's about it."

"That sounds good to me," Sirius said, coming up from behind them. "Anything with lots of food is always good."

"You _would_ like it," Lily commented, reaching into her bag and pulling out her half-finished Transfiguration essay and her book. "Do you need something, Sirius?"

"Have you seen Pr—James?" Sirius asked.

"He came up with me," Lily said. "I don't know where he is if he hasn't come in yet." Sirius glanced over at the portrait hole.

"Oh, there he is," he said, seeing his best friend enter the Common Room. "Oy, James!" he yelled. He was immediately shushed by all the Seventh and Fifth Years, who were fervently studying for their N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s, respectively. 

"What, Sirius?" James asked, walking over to join Sirius. "And lower your voice, for Merlin's sake!"

"Can you help me with the Potions homework?" Sirius asked quietly.

"I haven't even started it," James replied. "Ask someone else."

"There _is_ no one else!" Sirius exclaimed. "Moony doesn't take Potions, Wormtail doesn't know monkshood from wolfsbane—"

"There's no difference between the two, Padfoot," James interrupted.

"That's the point!" Sirius said. "He doesn't know! Merlin knows why he opted to take Potions!"

"It's the only one he got an 'E' in, or do I have to remind you of how much his mother yelled at him when the results came?"

"Nah, you don't," Sirius said. "But still—"

"But nothing. I'm sure Peter's already finished his homework, and he might be able to help you. Besides, what do you need help on?"

"The essay," Sirius stated.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," James said, slightly annoyed. "But what exactly about the essay?"

"I don't understand anything about Aging Potions," Sirius sighed.

"What's there to understand?" James asked. "You take them to grow older!"

"But how much older?"

"Do I look like Snivellus?" James ejaculated, getting irritated with his friend. "Read the bloody textbook, Padfoot!"

"All right, all right!" Sirius said hurriedly, trying to placate his friend. "What's eating you?"

"Nothing," James said. "I just have a lot of work to do, and I can't get it done with you constantly badgering me with questions about things you should have no trouble understanding!"

"Fine, I know when I'm not wanted," Sirius said, walking off and sitting down at their usual table. James came over and sat next to him as Sirius pulled out a sheet of parchment and his Potions textbook.

"Look, Padfoot, I'm sorry," James said. "It's just…I'm a bit stressed right now."

"And I'm not?"

"You're taking five N.E.W.T.s, I'm taking six," James explained.

"And your point is?" Sirius asked, looking up at James. "Lily's taking six, but she doesn't explode at anyone!"

"Why does everyone _always_ compare me to Lily?" James asked, not realizing that he had said her first name. "'Why can't you do this like Lily?' 'Why don't you act more like Lily?' 'Lily does this, why can't you?' It's bloody sickening!" Sirius chuckled softly. "What's so funny?"

"You ought to listen to yourself," Sirius said. "You say that you don't like Lily, and yet every time you get worked up, you say her first name. If that's not a sign that you fancy her, I don't know what is."

"We're friends now," James said.

"Really?" Sirius said. "She doesn't call you 'James,' does she?"

"That was out of order, Padfoot," James said. He quickly changed the subject. "How's Moony?"

"How do you think he would be?" Sirius retorted. "He's sleeping right now; the poor guy's _exhausted_."

"I feel so awful for him," James said. 

"We all do, but there's not much we can do for him; we're already doing what we can," Sirius said. He then leaned in. "Full moon's in two nights; did you manage to escape patrol?"

"I told Elphias that Remus wouldn't be able to do it with him and that I'd take over their patrol and he could work with Li—Evans," James said. Sirius looked at him piercingly, but did not comment on James' reluctance to say Lily's first name.

"So she doesn't suspect anything," Sirius said.

"No, she doesn't, and I intend to keep it that way," James replied. "If she gets wind of what we're doing…she may be on fairly good terms with all of us right now, but she won't hesitate to turn us in. I'm not particularly eager to explain to my parents why I have to go to Azkaban before I even graduate."

"We all feel that way," Sirius said, turning to his Potions essay. 

"Where's Wormtail?" James asked, looking around for his blonde-haired friend.

"Kitchens," Sirius said, not turning his head from his book. "He promised he'd bring me back some chocolate—"

"Oh, no, he won't," James cut in. "Not if we want to get any sleep. Moony gets all the chocolate."

"Evil," Sirius said half-heartedly.

"Of course," James replied, also pulling out his Potions things. "You wouldn't have me any other way."

"No, I wouldn't," Sirius agreed, grinning. They worked in silence for the rest of the night. 

***

Lily was running through the Forbidden Forest. She was unsure of how or why she was there, but knew that she was being chased; she heard the cracking of twigs and crunching of the dry fall leaves behind her. She turned around to get a glimpse of her pursuer, but tripped over a protruding tree root. Looking up, she could see the Hogwarts grounds through the thick trunks in front of her, but as she stood up, the noises following her stopped, and she could hear heavy breathing close by. She slowly turned around, and bit her lip to keep from screaming. She had heard the stories of werewolves living in the Forbidden Forest, but had dismissed them as fiction. Now, however, she remembered that every story had its basis in fact, and this creature staring her in the eye was most definitely a werewolf. Its amber eyes glowed with a primal light, its mouth was open, revealing its large, pointed teeth, and it was salivating heavily as it looked at her. Lily fumbled for her wand, but found nothing. It was no use trying to climb a tree; werewolves had amazing strength, and she did not doubt that this one would be able to find some way to follow her up. The castle was too far away for her to run to, and it looked like she was stuck. Just then, the werewolf charged. Lily hastily turned around, running faster than she ever had before, but the creature was gaining on her. She could see Hagrid's cabin ahead of her, illuminated by the full moon, but as she glimpsed it, the werewolf pounced. Luck seemed to be on Lily's side, as she ducked and it shot over her. But now it was furious. It advanced upon her, causing her to back into a tree. This was it; she was going to die, and Lily closed her eyes in final acceptance. She waited for the final blow to hit her, but none came. The werewolf growled angrily, and she opened her eyes, to see… 

Lily jerked awake, sitting up. She was sweaty and breathing heavily as she thought of what she had just dreamt. For the past few nights, she had been having this dream, and every time, she had woken up at the exact same point. She was thoroughly frustrated by the lack of a resolution, but could not think of any way to figure it out. And when she thought about it, she could not figure out any reason why she would have a dream about being chased by a werewolf in the Forbidden Forest. Yes, Lily was afraid of werewolves, but not to the point that they would haunt her dreams, and this was the fourth time she had had the nightmare. 

Her dreams were also contributing to her constant fatigue. Every time she woke up after having one, she was unable to go back to sleep, thus depriving her of her much-needed rest. Sighing, Lily glanced over at the clock on her bedside table. The glowing hands told her that it was four-thirty in the morning, and she frowned. She had four hours until classes started, and decided to go down and read in the Common Room, not wishing to bother any of her dorm mates, who were all sleeping peacefully. Slipping on her dressing gown, she slid her feet into her bunny slippers (she hadn't been lying when she had mentioned them to James), and grabbed a book as she left the dorm noiselessly. 

The Common Room seemed deserted when she got down there, and she settled herself on the couch in front of the fire, curling up next to the arm of the sofa. She read quietly for half an hour, enjoying the rare silence. Just then, she heard a noise nearby. Startled, she marked her place and looked around. She smiled. 

James was sleeping at a table in the corner, slumped over his homework. There were ink marks all over his face, and he was breathing heavily, his glasses crushed against one side of his face. As Lily watched him, James shivered, clutching himself. Feeling sorry for him, she conjured a blanket and walked over to him, tucking it around his body as well as she could. She pulled off his glasses and carefully eased his homework out from under his face, trying not to wake him. He stirred slightly, and she stopped, but he simply turned his head and resumed his heavy breathing. With a sigh of relief, she managed to pull out the paper and tucked it into his bag, along with his textbook, which was still open. She then conjured a pillow and gently pushed it under his head, getting ink all over it.

"_Scourgify_," she whispered, and the ink disappeared from both James' face and the pillow. She stepped back and examined her handiwork. Satisfied, she nodded and walked back over to her book, starting up where she left off, a small smile on her face.

***

James awoke with a start. Disoriented, he looked around before realizing that he was not wearing his glasses and therefore unable to see anything. Feeling around, he found them and put them on, allowing them to settle on the bridge of his nose. He shook his head to clear his vision and then looked around again.

He was sitting at his table in the Common Room, in the same spot where he had worked on his essay the previous night. Looking at his watch, he noted that it was seven in the morning; he must have fallen asleep while finishing his homework. The sun was spilling through the curtains, and was undoubtedly what had woken him. James suddenly realized that there was a blanket draped around his shoulders and a pillow on the table in front of him. He knew that he had not conjured them, and wondered who had, looking around again.

"You're awake," a voice said from in front of the fire. James jumped, standing up. There, seated on the floor in front of the fire, was Lily, wearing a dressing gown and fuzzy slippers with bunnies on them, a book in her hand.

"Yes," James said, walking over and sitting next to her. "Did you do all that?" He gestured to the pillow and the blanket.

"Mmhm," she affirmed, nodding her head. She smiled. "You look so peaceful when you're sleeping; I couldn't bring myself to wake you and tell you to go to your own bed. I hope you don't mind—"

"Of course not," he cut in, surprised. That was the first compliment he had ever heard escape her lips, and from Lily, it was high praise. "Thank you." He then grinned. "So you _do_ have bunny slippers."

"Of course," Lily replied with a grin, although she flushed slightly. "I don't lie." James raised an eyebrow.

"What, never?"

"No, never," she said, smiling.

"What, never?" James repeated.

"Well…hardly ever," she conceded. He laughed.

"Glad to see you're fallible, Miss Evans. Welcome to the ranks of mere mortals."

"Oh, shut it, you," she said, pushing him lightly. "And don't call me Miss Evans; that's my sister."

"Petunia, right?"

"You remember?" she asked, surprised. James shrugged.

"Hey, you never know," he said. "It could always come in handy as leverage someday."

"Oh, you…" She trailed off, shaking her head.

"Me what?" he asked curiously, looking at her.

"You're incorrigible, you know that?"

"Of course I am," he said proudly. "Otherwise, I would have stopped bothering you the first time you yelled at me. You _were_ pretty scary." He grinned. "I never expected a girl of your size to have such a loud voice."

"Shut it," Lily said, although she laughed along with him. She stood up, picking up her book. "I've got to go get dressed; see you at breakfast, Potter."

"James," he said. She paused and looked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"My name is James, not Potter or anything else," he said. Lily smiled. 

"All right, then…James." She laughed. "And my name is Lily. See you, James."

"See you," he said, watching her go up the stairs. "Lily," he whispered into the flames.

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**A/N:** And that's Chapter Five! I like this better than Chapter Four…I hope you liked it, too! And now, the part where I thank all the wonderful people who reviewed Chapter 4!

**SoulAvenger:** Yeah, James is a little slow…it'll probably be a while until he tells Lily. As for her reaction…well, you'll just have to wait and see! Thanks!

**Loraliant Angelisa Snape:** Okay, just let me know when you need any help. You have my e-mail address, right? Oh, that sucks about the caffeine…why can't you ever pick something you _don't_ like for Lent, like spinach? Thanks for the review!

**LimeJuiceTub:** Yeah, I liked the conversation between James and Sirius too…and we finally see his more serious side! Wow…I never thought about the turning feet backwards…yeah, I guess that there's pain reliever in the spell; after all, it didn't hurt Harry when his bones were being removed by Lockhart…it was an empty threat, anyways. Thanks!

**child-of-scorpio:** Yes, James "lurves" Lily. Hehe…I'm sure your voice isn't _that_ bad! Wow…I have the ability to make your day better? Yes! "All bow the all-mighty Eos, who controls emotions!" Ooh…"all-mighty Eos"…has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Lol. Thanks!

**Pauly-85:** Thanks!

**Christy Corr:** That's okay about Chapter 4…we all have times when we're so bogged down with work we can't do anything else; you don't need to apologize. Yeah, I did think James' realization came a little quickly, but if you think about it, I implied (or at least tried to imply) that James had never really stopped liking Lily; he was just in denial. Hehe…I liked the Snape-McGonagall incident, too; I was reading through it, and I cracked up when I read it…my family thought I'd lost my marbles. They haven't realized that my marbles are long gone…I think they're somewhere in Africa by now. Lol. Thanks!

**LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR:** Wow; that has to be one of the best compliments I've ever received! (After my Lit. teacher telling me that I write like an adult…) Heh…I have a weird complex where I don't like anything I write, so…yeah, you get the picture. Thanks!

**ThreeEaredBunny:** Yes, James has finally realized that denial isn't just a river in Egypt…Lol. Thanks!

**Anaii:** Thanks!

**FrightninglyObsessed:** Just out of curiosity, what are you "frighteningly obsessed" with? Sorry…just had to ask (I love your pen name!) I'd like to see that "extremely odd-looking happy dance" of yours…Lol. Thanks!

**Hogwarts-Drama-Queen:** Wow, he must be a bad singer if he "can't carry a tune farther than [you] can walk without running into something or tripping"…Yes, it's been one of my greatest dreams to fly, and yes, Dorcas sounds like a total spaz…seem fitting? Lol. Thanks!

**Agloechen:** Yes, I do try to keep my story as error-free as possible…that's the _first_ time? Wow…I've seen a couple with few or no mistakes in grammar and spelling…Thanks!

**Musicizdbest:** Thanks!

**Animalluvr75:** Thanks!

**fizban hat:** Don't you DARE touch Sirius! He's mine, I tell you, MINE! Go out and get your own! (Wait…I just contradicted myself…but who cares?) Yes, I think the sky must be falling for Lily and James to like each other; in this chapter, it must have already crashed into the ground! Yes, Dorcas is a bit odd, but she's to Lily's group as Sirius is to James' group, and don't you think Sirius would enjoy flying around the school? *Grins* Yes, we all love Sirius, and of course Lily thinks that James is insane…he's totally nuts! (Not as much as Sirius, but you get the idea…) Thanks!

**angelgurl161:** Did you see the A/N at the beginning of the chapter? Heh…Thanks so much!

**J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Erin):** Yes, it is good that James finally admitted his attraction to Lily…Thanks!

**LJstagfloewr4e/JCtigerwolf4e:** Thanks!

**MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus:** Thanks!

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**A/N:** Whew! *Wipes forehead* 78 Reviews! You guys are the greatest! Anyways…I won't be able to write much for the next three weeks…my teachers really hate me. It's nearing the end of the term and I'm so bogged down with work I don't have any time for anything else…so don't expect anything until mid-March. Thanks to all of you, and don't forget to review: you make my day infinitely better!

~Eos


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the _Harry Potter _series.

**Summary:** Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible." It was the only thing she and James agreed upon. 

**A/N:** I am really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, (well, you get the idea) sorry that this took so long. I was so bogged down with work that I didn't have time for anything else (I know, I know, Standard Excuse #1)! Anyways, I'd like to thank my new beta, angelgurl161, and all of my friends, who bugged me incessantly to get this finished. So, here's Chapter 6! I hope you all enjoy it!

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**_INCOMPATIBLE_**

CHAPTER SIX

"Yeah, I'll see you later," James said, exiting the portrait hole. "'Bye, Lily, Elphias!" He closed the portrait with a loud slam ("Watch it!" the Fat Lady exclaimed irritably) and turned to the hallway.

"Padfoot! Wormtail!" he whispered as loudly as he dared, walking down the corridor. "You there?"

"Yeah, hold on a sec," Sirius replied, his voice coming out of thin air and causing James to jump in surprise. The latter then felt something drape over him and knew that the three of them were now under his Invisibility Cloak.

"What took you so long?" Peter muttered as they carefully began the long walk down to the Whomping Willow; it was full moon tonight and they were going to meet Remus.

"Couldn't get Lily off my bloody case," James muttered back. "Kept asking me where Remus was kept and if he could get out. Dunno why she's suddenly so interested."

"So you _do_ like Lily!" Sirius exclaimed. 

"Shut up," James whispered hurriedly. "Do you want Filch to catch us?" Sirius closed his mouth and shook his head, even though none of them could see him.

"No," he whispered. "But Prongs, you called her Lily, and not Evans!"

"Your point?" James asked irritably.

"You fancy Lily!" 

"I thought we established that at the beginning of the month," James snapped.

"You fancy Lily?" Peter asked, surprised.

"Of course he does!" Sirius exclaimed. "Have you been hiding under a rock, Wormtail?"

"No, but I've been stuck below piles of work, which are more effective than rocks," Peter replied irritably.

"Oh, just shut it, both of you!" James whispered angrily. 

"Sorry, Prongs," Sirius muttered. 

"Sorry," Peter echoed. James sighed. They were now in the Entrance Hall, and he pushed the front doors open. The grounds were fully illuminated by the silver light streaming down from the full moon, but none of the three boys bothered to appreciate the beauty of the scene before them; they were too focused on getting to their friend. When the Whomping Willow came into view, its branches swaying violently, James nudged Peter. 

"All right, Wormtail," he said. "You can go now." 

Peter nodded, although none of them could see it under the Cloak. There was a small _pop_ and a plump gray rat—Wormtail—emerged from where Peter had previously been standing. The rat darted forward, pressing a knot on the tree, and the flailing limbs immediately halted their movement, revealing a large tunnel at the tree's roots. He rushed down the passage, James and Sirius following quickly in his wake.

The two boys reached a bend in the tunnel and James flung off the Cloak, glancing at his friend and nodding. With another _pop_, Sirius transformed into a large black dog—Padfoot—and bounded down the tunnel. James watched his friend round the bend before transforming into his stag form—Prongs. He ducked his head to avoid catching his antlers on anything, and ran to catch up with Padfoot.

As they reached the end of the tunnel, they could hear shrieks of rage and pain. Padfoot and Prongs exchanged worried glances and dashed up to join Remus—who, when the wolf took him over, was Moony—and Wormtail. The first room was empty—or so they thought, until they saw a rat rushing back and forth across the floorboards. He looked up at the noise and, upon seeing his friends, squeaked frantically. Although neither Prongs nor Padfoot could understand what the rat was saying, the general message was clear: tonight, Moony was having a very hard time controlling the wolf side of his mind. 

They rushed to the door that led to the room in which Moony was kept and realized what was going on; someone must have entered the Shrieking Shack recently. The scent of humans was everywhere, causing the wolf's bloodlust to emerge in full force.

Suddenly, the door shuddered. Apparently, Moony had thrown himself at the thin wooden planking in an attempt to escape his prison. Luckily, the door still held—the question was, for how long? Padfoot and Prongs exchanged looks again and made a decision. Padfoot reached up with his paw and turned the doorknob as Prongs pushed the door in with his antlers. Moony ran right into them, but he was held back by Prongs' antlers. Padfoot then pounced on the wolf, wrestling with him. Wormtail hid in the corner, knowing that he would be useless against Moony and that he would just get in the way. 

After several minutes, Moony was finally subdued, and he stared at Prongs and Padfoot with a hateful expression; they had kept him from searching out his prey. Outwardly, the two Animagi appeared indifferent to the glares they were receiving from their werewolf friend, but they were deeply hurt by his apparent hate, even though they knew that the wolf was not the Remus they knew. Wormtail scrabbled forward to stand in between the stag and the dog as they stared down the wolf. The four animals stayed in that position for at least half an hour. 

Finally, unable to bear the tension (and sitting still), Padfoot leapt at Moony, barking loudly. Moony growled, and the two wrestled, although this time, their fighting was playful. Wormtail looked on in fascination while Prongs shook his head. If the latter had been in his human form, he would have smiled at his friends' antics. He settled down onto the floor and watched his friends, knowing that, due to Moony's earlier behavior, they would not be able to leave the Shrieking Shack that night, so he might as well rest his legs. Wormtail crept over and sat next to him and the two watched their canine friends battle each other. Both the wolf and the dog eventually sunk to the floor, exhausted, and soon, Moony was asleep. Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail stayed by his side until the moon set and the first traces of light began to show on the horizon. 

Slowly, as the sun's rays started to penetrate the sky, the fur on the wolf's face began to recede. The claws retracted into human skin, causing the werewolf to open his amber eyes with a gasp. His nose started to shrink, his tail receded into his body, and all other traces of the wolf slowly disappeared until only Remus was left lying on the floor, gasping with exhaustion and pain. He looked up at his friends, who were still in their Animagus forms, and smiled slightly, passing out on the floor. 

Prongs and Padfoot exchanged glances before turning back into James and Sirius, respectively, and after a moment of hesitation, Wormtail followed, turning into Peter. The three friends looked upon Remus with sadness as they left the room, closing the door softly behind them so as not to disturb Remus, and re-entered the passage. 

"Well, that was…interesting," Sirius commented finally as James recovered the Invisibility Cloak and threw it over the three of them. 

"I don't think I've seen Moony so mad since…well, since the Snape incident," James said softly. "Wonder who went into the Shack."

"Yeah," Peter agreed, yawning. "And I also wonder how they got in."

"Well, we can figure that out later, when we can actually think," Sirius snapped, the lack of sleep catching up with him. 

"Thank Merlin it's Sunday," James said. "Remember last time we did this? It was a _Monday_."

"We were just lucky McGonagall didn't give us detentions," Sirius replied. He then stopped; they had reached the end of the tunnel. "Wormtail, it's time for you to do your thing." Peter nodded and turned into the gray rat that was his Animagus form. He scurried up the tunnel and pressed the knot on the Whomping Willow, causing it to shudder to a halt. 

James and Sirius rushed up, making sure the Cloak fully covered them. Peter stayed in his rat form to give them more room under the Cloak and James swept him up and put him in the pocket of his robes, knowing that Peter would be asleep by the time they reached Gryffindor Tower. The boys navigated a series of secret passages to avoid the early risers of the school, thanking Merlin—not for the first time—that they did not share a dormitory with anyone else; they would have had to face a slew of questions from their dorm mates. 

They finally arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, gave her the password ("fellytone"), and fell through the portrait hole, careful to keep the Cloak covering them. It would not do to run into any early risers (but seriously, who got up early on a _Sunday_?). They stumbled towards the stairs, but as they were about to ascend them, James, looking around the common room, saw a flash of red hair near the fire. _Why is Lily up so early?_ he wondered. He then turned to Sirius.

"Padfoot, I'll come up in a little," he said. He then reached into his pocket and pulled Peter out, passing him into Sirius' hands. "Take Wormtail up with you, won't you?"

"A—all right," Sirius agreed, yawning widely. "But what are you doing?"

"Take a look at the fire."

"Ah…" Sirius said, after a few seconds. "Lily?"

"Yep," James said. "I don't think she noticed us come in, though. Keep the Cloak on when you go up, just in case you run into someone on the stairs."

"Okay," Sirius said. "I'll see you." James ducked out from under the Invisibility Cloak and nodded. 

"Later, Padfoot," he said. He waited until he heard Sirius making his way up the stairs, and then walked over to where Lily was sitting in front of the fire, reading a book. 

"'Morning, Miss Evans," he said, stifling a yawn as he sat down on the arm of the sofa she was sitting on. She jumped and looked up at him in surprise before smiling widely and closing her book, marking her place with a bookmark. 

"Didn't I tell you not to call me Miss Evans?" she asked.

"Since when have I ever listened to anyone?"

"Good point," Lily agreed, her grin broadening. She then frowned. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I just woke up, and I couldn't go back to sleep," James lied. "Sun was too bright."

"And the curtains don't work?"

"Nah. Sirius charmed my drapes to never close; he and Remus have had too much trouble waking me up in the mornings." Lily laughed. 

"Sounds like something Dorcas would do," she said, grinning. "Of course, she and Sirius are very similar…"

"Yeah," James agreed, nodding. He slid down to sit next to her on the sofa. They were silent for a few moments, and then Lily looked out the window at the sunrise.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked him. He turned his head to look outside, and then glanced at Lily. Her face was lit up by a brilliant smile, her green eyes wide as she tried to take in all the different colors spread across the sky. James swallowed.

"Yeah," he said quietly, never removing his eyes from her. "It really is." 

Lily looked at him, their eyes locking, and she leaned back into his chest, pulling her feet up onto the couch as she turned her gaze back to the window. James slid his arms around her waist instinctively, pulling her closer to him, and rested his chin on her head. He could smell the heady scent of the lavender fragrance Lily always wore, and closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling of being so close to her. Lily sighed and leaned even further into him, pushing him back against the arm of the sofa, causing him to open his eyes. The two of them sat comfortably in this position for a long time, simply watching the sun rise over the horizon to signal the beginning of a new day.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs jerked them out of their reverie. James immediately let go of Lily's waist as they jumped apart, smiling awkwardly at each other. Lily turned her head to find out who had disturbed them and saw a small First Year girl standing on the steps that led to the girls' side of the Tower. The girl looked at Lily and James, her eyes widening in fright as she realized that she was looking at the Head Girl and Boy. With a squeak of terror, the girl dashed back up the stairs.

"Poor thing," Lily said, picking up her book and standing. "She was probably terrified by the sight of you first thing in the morning. That hair's enough to scare anyone away." James laughed. 

"You know you like it," he said. 

"Don't flatter yourself," she said, returning the smile. "I need to get ready; I'll see you later." She then grinned broadly. "And try to get some sleep; you look awful." James grinned.

"So do you," he replied.

"Touché," she said, her eyes twinkling merrily. "And if you want to remove the Sticking Charm, all you need is _finite incantatem_." James laughed.

"Thanks, Lily; I'm sure Sirius will be pleased with that."

"I'm sure he will," Lily laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I'll see you, James." She walked towards the stairs that led to her dormitory.

"See you, Lily," James said. He waited for her to climb the stairs before walking up to his own dormitory. He entered it noiselessly and walked over to his bed, pulling out his wand. 

"_Finite incantatem_," he whispered, pointing at his drapes. He changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed, grinning as he pulled the drapes shut around him. _Take that, Sirius_, he thought happily, slowly entering the land of nod, where, as always, he found a redhead waiting for him. 

James' smile broadened.

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Lily slipped into her dorm, careful not to disturb her roommates. She smiled to herself as she heard Dorcas' snores and then walked over to her friend's bed, where she prodded her black-haired friend lightly in her side, causing Dorcas to roll over onto her side. The noise stopped and Lily sighed in relief. She then walked over to her bed and placed her book on her nightstand, pausing to smile at the picture of her parents. She then frowned as she remembered how Petunia had refused to be in the picture, saying that she had better things to do than to "bother with the freak's request." Even now, more than two years afterwards, her words still stung Lily, who, no matter how much she protested that she hated her sister just as much as Petunia hated her, wished that the two of them could get along.

"You're up early, Lily," Alice said from across the room, her voice cutting into Lily's thoughts. Lily glanced over at her friend, who was sitting on the windowsill, gazing at the sunrise.

"So are you," Lily replied. "Couldn't sleep?" Alice shook her head.

"I was thinking about Frank; I really miss him." Lily laughed, walking over to join her friend. 

"You're starting to sound like Marlene, sighing over a boy," she said, sitting next to Alice. 

"I could never be like Marlene," Alice said, smiling good-naturedly. "I don't pine over boys that I'll never have."

"True," Lily conceded. "I'm sure that wherever he is, Frank is missing you as much as you're missing him." Alice grinned.

"Nah," she said, shaking her head. "He's probably missing all his sleep. Apparently Auror training is wearing him out." The two girls laughed.

"Think that if I told James how much sleep Frank gets, he'd still want to be an Auror?" Lily asked. Alice looked at her friend strangely. "What?" Lily asked.

"You do realize that you referred to James by his first name?" Alice asked.

"I've been doing that since Friday morning," Lily said. "Your point is?"

"Since _Friday?_" Alice asked, shocked. "And you didn't see fit to inform us?"

"After all of your plans to get us to be friends, I didn't think you'd _need_ to be told; you always have some kind of sixth sense of knowing exactly what we were doing."

"We used spells to eavesdrop on you guys," Alice admitted, smiling. 

"That would explain it," Lily agreed. The friends sat in companionable silence for a little, glancing at the sunrise.

"So spill," Alice said after a few minutes. "What's going on between you and James, anyways?"

"Nothing, really," Lily said. "We're just…friends now, I guess."

"_Yes!_" Alice exclaimed, jumping off the windowsill and punching the air. "That's wonderful!" She hugged Lily, who was surprised—and slightly frightened—at her friend's reaction to her confession.

"Sorry, but what's wonderful?" Marlene asked groggily, having been roused by Alice's exclamation. Dorcas was still sleeping; on the weekends, the only thing that could rouse her from her slumber was the threat of Benjy Fenwick kissing her. The girls would often threaten her with this, finding it immensely amusing to watch Dorcas bolt out of bed and closet herself in the bathroom—she always forgot that boys were unable to climb the stairs that led to the girls' dormitory.

"Lily and James are finally friends!" Alice squealed, in a manner that was very uncharacteristic of her. Lily stared.

"They are?" Marlene asked, bolting out of bed and performing a very strange victory dance. 

"Yes!" Alice exclaimed. "We have to tell Dorcas!"

"Oh, no you don't," Lily said hurriedly. "I do _not_ want to deal with her temper at being awoken at," she checked the clock on her bedside table, "five-forty-five in the morning."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it," Marlene said. Lily sighed and shook her head; she could see that Marlene liked the idea of irritating Dorcas. 

"No, she won't, and you know it," the redhead replied. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I'm going to try to get some sleep with what's left of the morning." She climbed into her bed and pulled the drapes around her.

"Oh, that's a very convenient way of avoiding our questions," Alice said to her friend.

"I see it more as a way of avoiding an interrogation, which I do not need right now," Lily replied lightly. "I'm tired enough as it is."

"Then you should have tried to get back to sleep _before_ you got out of bed," Marlene said logically.

"I needed to clear my head for a bit and didn't want to disturb you guys by lighting my wand," Lily argued. 

"Excuses, excuses," Alice said, shaking her head. "But if you insist, go back to sleep. Just know that we'll ask you our questions later."

"I can't wait," Lily replied dryly.

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At precisely twelve-thirty in the afternoon, Sirius and Peter strolled into the hall looking well rested and sat down at the table for lunch, complaining loudly of hunger. This, of course, was attributable to the fact that they had not eaten breakfast—to a seventeen-year old boy, especially one with an appetite as large as those of Sirius and Peter, missing breakfast was a crime. Alice, Marlene, and Dorcas (who had been informed of the latest development in the Lily-James affairs the moment she had awoken) laughed at the boys and walked over to join the two. 

"Hello, Sirius," Alice said, taking a seat next to him.

"Hullo, Alice," Sirius said. However, as his mouth was full of food, what came out sounded more like, "'Lo, Alth." Alice giggled, while Dorcas made a face. 

"That's disgusting," she said. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to speak with your mouth full?" Sirius' face darkened, and Dorcas immediately realized that she had made a mistake. Sirius swallowed quickly and glared at her.

"Well, seeing as my mother didn't care one bit about me, I don't think she did," Sirius replied. 

"Sorry, Sirius," Dorcas apologized. "I didn't mean to say that."

"Yes, you did," Sirius replied. "Don't take it back just because it was offensive. It was meant to be, wasn't it?"

"No, of course not!" Dorcas protested. "I didn't mean anything by it!"

"Sure you didn't," Sirius said darkly, turning back to his lunch. "No one ever means anything they say regarding my family."

"Look, Sirius, I really am sorry," Dorcas said. "What's it going to take for you to forgive me?"

"I forgive you," Sirius said. "But that doesn't mean that it won't happen again."

"Sirius, just stop feeling sorry for yourself," Peter cut in, exasperated. "Dorcas apologized; will you get over it already?"

"I'm over it," the dark-haired boy replied. "I don't know what you guys are going on about." Peter sighed.

"Nutters, that one is," he muttered to Marlene, jerking his head in Sirius' direction.

"I 'eard 'at!" Sirius said, bits of food spraying everywhere. 

"Sirius!" Alice exclaimed. 

"Sorry," Sirius said, once again scattering bits of food everywhere.

"Argh!" Dorcas made a sound in her throat. "Just…don't talk with your mouth full, all right?" Sirius nodded, swallowing.

"So, what brings you lovely ladies to this side of the table?" he asked.

"Lily and James," Marlene replied.

"Ah," Sirius nodded sagely. "What are they up to now? _Another_ fight?" Dorcas shook her head.

"No," she said. "They're actually _friends!_"

"You're kidding," Peter said. Alice shook her head.

"Nope," she said. "I heard it straight from Lily's mouth this morning."

"Speaking of the fireball, where is she?" Sirius asked, looking around.

"Sleeping," Dorcas said. "She apparently woke up really early and didn't get any sleep, so she went back to sleep at a quarter to six."

"Merlin, how can anyone wake up that early?" Sirius asked.

"Insomnia?" Peter suggested.

"Besides that," Sirius said. 

"Probably had a bad dream," Dorcas said.

"What?" Sirius asked. "She kissed James?" The others laughed.

"James dreams about that," Peter said. The girls' heads snapped to look at him as Sirius buried his head in his hands.

"You weren't supposed to say that, Peter," he said.

"What? You told them about his fancying her in Fifth Year," Peter justified. 

"That was different."

"How so? I see no difference. James likes Lily, end of story."

"Not end of story. Lily _hated_ James then; it wouldn't matter if it got back to her that he liked her, because she already hated him. But now that they're actually friends…" Sirius trailed off.

"Lily might get scared away," Alice finished for him. "She doesn't really deal too well with relationships."

"Has she even had a boyfriend?" Marlene asked, thinking.

"Yes," Dorcas replied promptly. "Gideon Prewett, in Fifth Year."

"Merlin, that was a nightmare," Alice groaned. 

"I'll say," Peter agreed. "James was practically seething with jealousy. Pranked Gid every other day."

"Lily got so mad at James," Dorcas laughed. "Remember when she cursed his glasses to give him purple hair and orange eyes whenever he wore them?" The others laughed.

"Or the time she actually enlarged his head to make it 'as big as his ego'?" Peter asked. Their laughter grew louder.

"Or the time she hexed all of her friends, and James', because they were discussing the two of them behind their backs?" The five looked up.

"Lily!" Sirius exclaimed, not missing a beat. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Indeed," Lily replied scathingly. "Having fun reminiscing about all of the pranks I played on James?"

"Of course," Dorcas said. "Just like you enjoy remembering about all times you've hexed me a different color." This time, Lily laughed with them. 

"Yeah, I do," she admitted. The others laughed harder.

"What's so funny?" James asked, sliding into a seat by Sirius. "Merlin, I'm starved."

"We were just laughing about all of the pranks Lily played on you," Sirius said. 

"Oh, very funny," James said sarcastically.

"James, don't turn into a sourpuss," Lily admonished. "They were a long time ago."

"I wouldn't call Sixth Year 'a long time ago'," James said, helping himself to some shepherd's pie. The others were watching Lily and James avidly, trying to figure out if they really were friends, as Lily had said.

"_James_," Lily said exasperatedly, "now is _not_ the time to unearth all of the chimaeras you're nursing over those pranks. Can you just forget them?"

"Only if you forget the pranks I've played on you over the years."

"What pranks?" Lily asked innocently. James grinned. 

"Perfect," he said. Their friends stared at them. 

"What?" Lily asked. 

"It's just…you're being…_friendly_ to each other," Marlene said, finally. "It's so strange."

"Well, get used to it," James said, wrapping an arm around Lily's waist, "because we're friends now." Lily removed herself from his grip.

"But that does _not_ mean that you can manhandle me in any way," she said, slapping his hand as he tried to slip it around her waist again.

"_Lily_," James protested, "I was just being friendly."

"Yes, but there is a very fine line between friendly and _too _friendly, and you're walking it," Lily replied curtly. "You will not wrap your arm around me, or perform any kind of gesture that suggests more than friendship. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly," James said, a hint of sullenness about his features. His face then lit up as he leaned down. "But you didn't protest about it this morning," he whispered. Lily flushed.

"A momentary lapse of judgment," she whispered back. 

"I think you liked it."

"I did not!"

"Then why didn't you push me off?"

"Because…because…" Lily fumbled for an answer. "Oh, it doesn't really matter, now does it?"

"I think it does," James said quietly.

"It does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!" Lily sighed.

"Are we going to start this again?" she asked.

"I'll stop if you tell me why you're protesting about my 'manhandling' you when you didn't earlier."

"I wasn't fully awake."

"You seemed it to me."

"Yeah, well," Lily tried to find a good reply, "you weren't fully awake either, were you?"

"No, I wasn't," James conceded. Lily folded her arms across her chest.

"Then the incidents of this morning are insignificant," she stated, with the air of someone saying that the sky was blue. "Besides, people can change."

"Over the space of a few hours?"

"Yes," Lily said. "Look, you can't cross the line between friendly and too friendly, end of story."

"No, not end of story."

"Yes, end of story."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Merlin, we're doing it _again!_" Lily exclaimed. "Will we never stop arguing?"

"My question exactly," Alice agreed. Lily and James' friends had been watching the exchange between the two and, while thoroughly confused, they found it highly amusing. Besides, they could always interrogate Lily and James (separately, of course) to figure out what they were talking about. 

"Look at it this way," Sirius said, adding his two bits of wisdom (and a mouthful of chewed-up food). "You're fighting, but you don't have to worry about hexes from each other any more."

"Oh, I wouldn't agree with that one," Dorcas said. "I'm Lily's friend, and she still hexes me _all_ the time."

"That's only because I'm provoked," Lily protested. 

"Face it, Lily, you just like to hex people—especially James," Peter said. "You might as well accept it."

"Do you want me to hex you?" Lily asked, pulling out her wand. The others laughed.

"Thank you for proving my point," Peter said. Lily then looked down at her wand before looking up at the others sheepishly.

"I did prove it, didn't I?" she asked.

"You did," Marlene said. 

"Oh, well," Lily said. "I guess there's only one thing to do about it."

"What's that?" Sirius asked. Lily twirled her wand, looking at it fondly.

"Oh," Alice said. "_Oh_." Dorcas shook her head. 

"Not good," she said.

"_Definitely_ not good," James agreed.

"What?" Marlene asked, looking between the three of them.

"She's going to hex us," Alice said. Lily grinned wickedly. 

"_Run!_" James exclaimed, bolting out of the Hall. The others followed, Lily hot on their heels. 

For the rest of the day, if anyone asked why Alice, Dorcas, Marlene, Sirius, James, and Peter were blue, they only received a glare. Lily would just smile in a satisfied manner and pat the pocket in which she kept her wand, content with her revenge. After all, _no one_ insulted the Head Girl and got away with it.

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**A/N: **112 reviews? *Faints* *Someone waves a bottle of smelling salts under her nose* *Revives* *Looks at screen again* *Faints again* *Is revived again, and does _not_ faint this time* I can't believe it! I feel so special now…you guys make my day! And now, thank-yous:

**MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus:** I _did_ get all my homework done! :) Thanks!

**angelgurl161:** Yes, romance is blossoming…but it'll take a while for the fruit to show! Aww…you added me to your favorites list? *blushes* I feel so honored now. Lol. Thanks! Second review…aww…hope you're feeling better. Lol. Yes, teachers can really suck…You almost _swore_ at your teacher? Now that would be interesting…As for my house being lively: I'm constantly rebuking my brother, who needs to learn some manners, he's running around the house screaming such things as "Boom!" and "Crash!" at the top of his lungs, my mom's busy at her computer, and my dad's yelling at my brother to shut up. I think your house is a bit more…peaceful than mine…I feel honored that you think I'm funny; people are constantly telling me to loosen up. *grin* Hope this update was soon enough for you; I don't want to die!

**Paul-85:** Thanks!

**LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR:** If you need more adjectives, you can always go to thesaurus.com and type in "great"…*wink* Yes, they are helping each other…maybe they'll meet in the middle! Thanks!

**LimeJuiceTub:** Yes, that was a relatively calm chapter. And yes, I'm not going to tell you why I put that dream of Lily's in there…I'm not even sure myself! And by end of term, I mean end of the second trimester…at my school, we have trimesters, which are broken up by Winter and Spring Break…we just call it "term" when it's really a "trimester"! Thanks!

**FrightninglyObsessed: **Ah, yes, aren't we all obsessed with LOTR? Awesome books, awesome movie, awesome characters, awesome plot…okay, I'll stop now. Lol. Which songs? I'm obsessed with "May It Be," so…Lol. I'm sure your dancing can't be as bad as my brother's; he has no coordination. Thanks!

**child-of-scorpio:** Lol. Ah, the title "all-mighty Eos" (which should really be almighty…but who cares? Not me) resurfaces. Lol. I'm glad you liked that chapter (between you and me, that's my favorite one). Heh. For the sake of your "blood pressure, mental sanity, and general good health"? Oh, no…I'm hoping you aren't dead by now because it took me so long to update…But then again, I can pull the same thing on you: UPDATE "THE TRUTH OF THE HEART", DAMNIT! Sorry…momentary lapse of composure…you won't really tell, will you? *wink* Thanks!

**Lady of Masbolle:** Yes, everyone seems to like Sirius high on sugar. I rock? Why, thank you! Yes, I like that scene, too…Thanks!

**J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Erin): **Thanks!

**Monica:** Ooh, a long review! Wait, TWO long reviews! I'm glad you liked Chapter 4, even though I didn't, but I'm amazingly critical of my work…I'm glad you like Lily's "pranking" (although she calls it "revenge"…) Umm…I've always wanted to fly, so I thought Dorcas would have fun if Lily gave her wings…also, it was a bit of a messed-up transfiguration; Lily meant to turn Dorcas into a bird (but, of course, her transfiguration is a bit…lacking…) Yes, everyone did love Snape's "confession". Now to your second review…Lol, thanks for the compliment. I've been obsessed with grammar and perfection ever since I was very little, so I guess it shows…Yes, it _is_ wonderful that Lily and James are friends…And of COURSE we're going to have more of the "make-you-grin-inside crush feelings" between the two of them; it's absolutely essential! Lol, yeah, I love Dorcas too. The best part about Dorcas, Alice, and Marlene is that I can use them and pretend that I'm being canon, but I can also make them my own characters…_so_ much fun. And as far as the ball goes, I personally don't think I need a ball to get James and Lily together, and since balls are scheduled _before_ the school year, I don't see how I can have one, even. Not to mention the fact that balls are incredibly clichéd. So…yeah. No ball. *grin* Thanks!

**Jackie:** Thanks!

**Agloechen:** Oh, I'm sorry that I made you cry…Yeah, I love that scene too…I never knew I could write something that _fluffy_…*wink* Thanks!

**Loraliant Angelisa Snape:** I'm glad you liked the chapter! That still sucks about the caffeine, though…if you still need help with the pranks issue, just e-mail me (if you need it again, just leave a message in a review and I'll send it to you again). Thanks!

**hilaryous:** Thanks!

**Wind Whisperer:** On your favorites list? I feel so honored now…Lol. Thanks!

**Musicizdbest:** Thanks!

**SoulAvenger:** What sane person _wouldn't_ be scared of werewolves? If I knew they existed, I wouldn't hesitate to be scared of them, either! And do you _really_ think I'll tell you what the dream means, especially when I don't know myself? You'll find out (as will I) soon enough! Thanks!

**cHoCoLaTeZ: **Yes, Lily and James _are_ friends, and I'm jumping up and down thanking the powers that be for allowing that to happen. Aww…I'm so glad you think it's perfect…you know, that's what Microsoft Word is for…and if you want help with that, I'm always willing to lend a hand and teach grammar/spelling/etc. to people…with the aid of my trusty grammar handbook, lol. Thanks!

**jess131346:** I missed you out? Oh, I'm _so_ sorry…Here…FOUR big chocolate chip cookies (the soft, gooey kind that's fresh out of the oven)! Lol. Thanks!

**Danz:** Lol. I'm sure there's a reason you didn't read this before. I thank you for your compliments. Lol. You _should_ force that authoress to get off her duff and write some more…I'm glad you think my spelling/grammar/etc. is great! Thanks!

**Laurana Starbreeze:** Lol. Yes, you _are_ crazy, but deep down, aren't we all? I can see why Sirius reminds you of yourself…ooh, I want to fly too; that's why I had Lily give Dorcas wings…I'll see what I can do about sending you a pair of wings for reviewing! Lol. Yes, it _was _sweet of Lily, wasn't it? Thanks!

**fizban hat:** _MY_ SIRIUS! DON'T TOUCH HIM! *holds on to Sirius for dear life* *also dodges falling sky, while running around like Chicken Little* Of course an Acceptable is a bad mark for a perfectionist! What do you think Lily is? You know, I think I need bunny slippers, too…Lol. And of course Sirius compares James to Lily; she's perfect, he's not! (Just kidding…) No, Sirius doesn't get any chocolate…from James, that is. But Peter found a way to sneak him some. And I won't tell you if Lily's dream is foreshadowing…you'll just have to find out. *joins in song* Lily and James sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…Lol. Wow, your review jumps around A LOT…Thanks!

**bridget:** Sorry…I think someone else was the 100th reviewer, but you were close! I'm glad you love my story…I'm also glad that you like the development of James' liking Lily; and _of course_ Lily has to have a sense of humor: otherwise, she wouldn't survive in my story! I'm grammar/spelling obsessed, so…yeah. I'm honored you think my writing's like JKR's…but then again, we all borrow techniques from the best. Yeah, I hate those plot lines too. James is _not_ shallow, and neither is Sirius or any of JKR's other characters…And it's so much fun to take canon characters and make them my own, since we don't know that much about them…that's why I prefer to write Lily/James fanfiction…I'm glad you like Lily and James…and Alice is a new one; most people like Dorcas. Thanks!

**Hogwarts-Drama-Queen:** Well, life isn't all fun and games…Ooh, I want to see the ducky slippers! Lol. Thanks!

**sweetthing131:** Lol, nah, I don't mind. Yes, you _do _feel my pain, don't you? Lol. Thanks!

**Christy Corr:** I think the thing that reminded you of PotC was James' asking Lily to refer to him by his first name ("Will, how many times must I tell you to call me Elizabeth?") Lol. I'm glad you picked up on the James-still-likes-Lily thing…Yes, I like the development of their friendship, too…Lol. I _want_ the bunny slippers now! *grin* Thanks!

**Samhain13:** Yeah, the internet can be sooo screwy…that bugs me, too. Thanks for the grammar comment…yeah, I never really paid too much attention to "bid" vs. "bade", but thanks; I'll look out for it now. *grin* You read my profile? Thanks…I do write it for a reason. You know, several of my friends have given me the same comment about dialogue…guess I'll have to write more of that, now! And to the "phrases that seem lifted right out of Rowling's text," I probably _did_ lift some things out of her books…can't remember what they were, but…w/e. Of course we all do it; that's why it's fanfiction—we're piggybacking on someone else's idea and making it our own! Thanks!

**Divine Sanity:** Lol. _Never_ met anyone else who's meticulous about spelling and grammar? I have several friends like that. Yes, everyone seems to like Sirius…Thanks!

**Guess From Review:** Interesting e-mail…and Julia, of _course_ I can blame all of the teachers; otherwise, how do I have any fun? Hmm? *wink* Sheela says you spelled her name wrong…and she's not going to beat me up in the library…so there! You know that I'm used to you people using improper grammar…I just correct you and annoy the hell out of you that way! Lol! Umm…yeah, I think I broke _both_ my legs…that was certainly a good performance, wasn't it? Thanks!  
  


**ladyvoldermort:** Thanks!

**justanothergirl:** Long reviews are good…*grins* and I don't care about your "weird internet writing style and 'lingo'" so long as I can understand what you're saying. Yes, I understand the feeling about the spelling/grammar/etc…that bugs me, too. I'm glad you liked this enough to read past the first chapter…I feel special now! I should really thank the friend who advertised this on IMDB…I'm glad you like my writing style…yeah, I try not to be _too_ over-the-top with my vocabulary. Heh. _Someone_ finally notices the little details on which I comment…I'm glad you think I'm funny; I always thought I was serious as hell (which isn't very serious, but I think you get the point). The Snape-in-the-pink-dress is something that no one else has commented on…interesting. I'm glad you like the supporting characters. And constructive criticism is _not_ bashing…I rather enjoy reading criticism, anyways. Oops! *claps hand over mouth* Didn't mean to say "candy", but I live in the U.S., not the U.K., so…I'm sorry I wasn't too true to where they live. And yes, I use a lot of repetition; I try to tone it down, but it sneaks in no matter how much I use it…I never really thought of the death references as having any special significance…they're just phrases/expressions I use…I could always find new ones. Lol, of course I borrow from those who have written brilliant things. *wink* Anyways…wow…that was a really long response…Heh. Yeah, we _are_ addicted to this stuff, but chocolate tops the list of things I'm addicted to! Thanks for your comments; I really appreciate them!

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**A/N:** I'm glad that so many of you like this story; it's certainly a pleasure to write. Also, could you please thank angelgurl121, my beta? She's awesome! Chapter 7 should be out sometime before the end of the month, and keep reviewing; you guys motivate me to write faster!

~Eos


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the _Harry Potter _series.

**Summary:** Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible." It was the only thing she and James agreed upon. 

**A/N:** Well, March hasn't ended yet, so here's Chapter Seven! Umm…let's see. Kudos to my beta, angelgurl121, for her wonderful beta-ing, and…oh, yes! I'd like to thank the little ideas floating around in my head that made all of this possible, and…I'll just shut up now so you can read the chapter, shall I? Lol. Enjoy!

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**_INCOMPATIBLE_**

CHAPTER SEVEN

"James Potter!" Lily's voice echoed through the Gryffindor Common Room. It was a cool, crisp Saturday evening in October, and most people were either outside enjoying the last bits of fall weather or, in the case of the Fifth and Seventh Years, working tirelessly on their mounds of homework. 

"He's at Quidditch Practice, Lily," Sirius called back. Lily descended the staircases that led to the girls' dormitories and sighed. 

"When's the match, again?" she asked, coming to sit next to Sirius. For once, he was sitting on his own—Remus and Peter were in the Library, where Remus was trying to help Peter with his Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Next Saturday," he answered, dipping his quill in his inkwell and biting his lip as he tried to think of what to add to the essay in front of him. "What d'you need Jamesie for, anyways?"

"He'd kill you if he heard you call him Jamesie," Lily commented, avoiding the subject. She looked down at Sirius' essay.

"Lily," Sirius said warningly. She sighed again, raising her gaze to him.

"I need his help planning the Hallowe'en Feast," she replied. "Dumbledore seems to think that we should handle all the feasts, as the staff is 'too busy right now'. When will James be back?" Sirius glanced at his watch.

"Practice should be over in about five minutes or so," he answered, "but knowing Jamesie, he'll stay out there until curfew. Nothing can get him off his broom."

"Not even the threat of my being thoroughly irritated with him for a week?" Lily asked, standing up.

"That might work," Sirius replied. "Won't hurt to give it a try."

"Thanks," she said, walking towards the portrait hole. "And Sirius?" she tossed over her shoulder.

"What?" he asked.

"Acromantulas are _not_ fuzzy creatures resembling teddy bears." 

"Ah, bugger!" he exclaimed, turning to his essay and scratching out the offending line. "Stupid essay!" 

Lily laughed as she walked out of the Common Room, heading down to the Quidditch Pitch.

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James brushed his hair out of his eyes, pushing his glasses up to rest on the bridge of his nose as he surveyed the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He nodded in satisfaction.

"All right!" he called, landing on the pitch. The others followed his example, tired and sweaty. "That's enough for tonight. Go get some sleep—or catch up with your work for the O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s, whichever works for you."

"Ha ha, very funny, James," Caradoc Dearborn, one of the beaters, said as the team started trooping towards the lockers. "Doesn't help much, though."

"Of course not," James said, grinning. "But it helps to have a reminder of all the work you have, doesn't it?"

"Sure it does," Marlene, the other beater replied—she had hung back to speak to her cousin for a bit. "If you're _Lily_," she added. "She's so obsessed with her work I don't understand how she manages to fit Head Girl duties in."

"And she fails to realize how her friends can take such a lackadaisical attitude about their work and still achieve 'E's on their assignments," Lily said, coming up from behind them. Marlene jumped. 

"You really have to stop doing that, Lily," she said.

"Why?" Lily asked. "It's fun."

"For you, maybe," Marlene replied, "but it scares us out of our skins." Lily looked around.

"You look like you're in your skin," she said. "I don't see any shed skin anywhere."

"Very funny, Lily," Marlene replied sarcastically. "I'm going to go take a shower, and then I'll finish my work—"

"You mean you'll take a shower and then go up to the dorm, pull out that photo album of yours, and sigh over it all night," Lily interjected. Marlene glared at her as James laughed. 

"I have to see this photo album of yours, 'Lene," he said. "Mum would certainly love to hear about it."

"Don't you _dare_ tell Aunt 'Lissa about it," Marlene warned, turning her glare to James. "She'll then tell Mum, who'll give me another lecture about 'paying more attention to my schoolwork than to the boys around Hogwarts'." She shuddered. "One is enough, thanks." James grinned.

"All the more reason for me to tell her—" he started, until Marlene cut him off, hitting him in the stomach with her broomstick. He clutched his middle with a loud _oof_.

"You won't," she said. "See you, Lily, James." She walked off, leaving the two Head Students alone. 

"Just let me change out of this, and I'll be back," James said, gesturing to his Quidditch uniform.

"All right," Lily replied. She stood outside the changing rooms for a few minutes before James emerged, broom in hand.

"So," he said, shouldering his broom, "is there a specific reason you came out here? Or do you just enjoy my presence?"

"A mix of both," Lily admitted with a smile. James allowed a brief grin to flit across his face. He was making progress. James had a goal to become good friends with Lily before Christmas. After all, he was hardly going to let her attend her sister's wedding without some backup; besides, getting one up on Petunia would make Lily infinitely happy, something that brought great pleasure to James.

"And what's the specific reason?" James pressed.

"We have to organize the Hallowe'en Feast," she sighed. "Not much fun, but it's less work than planning a ball."

"What is your thing against balls, anyway?" James asked, throwing up his free hand. "You've done nothing but go on about how much you hate them ever since that Prefect meeting back in September!"

"I _do_ hate them," Lily argued. "I see no point in primping and worrying over a night that will hold absolutely no significance in the long term of things." James sighed.

"Would it hurt you terribly to let your hair down for a little bit?" he asked, frustrated. 

"It _is _down!" she protested, gesturing to her auburn hair, which was, for once, out of its usual tight ponytail. James nearly threw his broom down on the ground. 

"It's an _expression_, Lily," he groaned. "A bloody expression! Why do you take everything so literally?"

"To see the expressions on everyone else's faces when they get irritated with me," she replied airily. At his frown, she continued. "Seriously, though, you're the only one I do it with."

"You just took Marlene's expression literally," James retorted, gesturing behind him. "I don't see why you can't just lighten up."

"Well, _someone_ has to be serious in our year," she replied. "Between you and your friends being so amused by practical jokes, Marlene's unhealthy obsession with boys, Alice's easy-going nature, and Dorcas' joking nature, I'm the only one left." James stopped, turning to look at her. 

"Something's wrong," he said abruptly. "You're not normally so self-deprecating. What's happened?"

"Nothing," Lily replied, avoiding his gaze. James sighed, putting his broom on the ground. He took her chin in his hand and tilted her face upwards, forcing her to look him in the eye. 

"Don't lie to me, Lily," he said quietly. "You know I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to. Is something wrong at home?" 

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. At his raised eyebrow, she sighed. "How is it that you can see right through me when no one else notices any difference?" 

"Practice," James replied. "Years of arguing with you has attuned me to your little moods."

"Moods?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow. "I hope I'm not _that_ temperamental."

"Not very," he answered with a grin. "You _do_ have quite a temper, though."

"Tell me something I haven't heard from everyone else," she challenged. 

"All right," James said, stopping. She halted as well, looking up at him. "Your eyes turn dark green when you're sad, and you play with your hair whenever you're nervous. You don't like to share your personal feelings with anyone because you're afraid that they'll betray you like Petunia did; you're consumed by a desperate feeling to prove yourself. You try to be nice to everyone, and feel awful whenever someone's mean to you." James paused before continuing. "I could go on for ages, but that's enough, I think. Satisfied?" Lily was gaping at him. He smiled, lightly pushing her chin up and closing her mouth. "The stunned look doesn't suit you, Lils."

"I hate being called 'Lils'," she replied, walking towards the castle. James hurried to catch up.

"Since when?"

"Since you just used it right now," she replied.

"Not funny," James said, although he smiled slightly. "Seriously, though, what's wrong?" Lily sighed, halting abruptly and turning to face him.

"You have to promise you won't tell _anyone_," she said. "Alice will just get worried, Dorcas will get violent, and Marlene will suggest I find a boy to drown my sorrows in." She shook her head. "'Lene seriously needs a steady." James grinned.

"The day she finds one, I'll stop playing pranks," he replied. "She only goes in for the flings." Lily nodded.

"That's true," she agreed. "Anyways, I might as well tell _someone_ what's going on, so…d'you promise?"

"Of course I do," he said, looking her straight in the eye. He took her hand in his and for once, she did not lecture him about how he could not manhandle her. "Now, what's eating you?" Lily smiled.

"That's such a weird way of putting it," she said. "Sounds like I'm being devoured by some kind of spiritual monster." James frowned, and she raised her free hand in surrender. "All right, all right! I'll get on with it."

"You'd better," James said, "or I'll find some way to force it out of you."

"You wouldn't dare," Lily challenged. 

"Try me," he said. 

"Thanks, but I think I'll stay on this side of caution," she replied. James sighed in frustration.

"How do we _always_ get off the topic?" he asked angrily. "No, don't answer," he said as Lily opened her mouth to reply. "Just tell me what's going on." Lily sighed, realizing that she could no longer stall.

"I got a letter today," she said, looking down at the ground.

"From whom?" Lily did not answer. "Lily?" James pressed.

"Mum and Dad," she said. "Oh, nothing's wrong at home," she added hastily at his worried look, "but they mentioned something that's been bothering me all day."

"What?"

"Two things, actually," Lily amended. "One, of course, has to deal with Petunia."

"Again?" James asked. "Are you sure you don't want me to pay a surprise visit to your house over Christmas Break and leave her with a mustache?"

"James!" Lily exclaimed, although she smiled a bit at the idea of her prim and proper sister having facial hair. "That's all right. I think I'll just stick some more frogspawn into her bureau. The last time, she nearly fainted from the shock; all her knickers were filled with the stuff." James laughed, and her smile widened ever so slightly.

"So, what did the girl with a stick up her arse have to say?" he asked, calming down. He still had not let go of Lily's hand, and was hoping that she did not notice, as she would most probably remove it from his grasp. He brightened as she laughed.

"That's a very good name for her; I should use it sometime," Lily said, grinning. "But as to what she said…let's just say that nothing's changed between us." James shook his head, becoming serious.

"That can't be it," he said. "It has to be something more; you wouldn't get so upset if it was nothing out of the ordinary." Lily sighed.

"I don't think I'll _ever_ be able to keep secrets from you again," she said. He grinned. 

"Nope," he replied cheerfully. "Now, what did your sister say?"

"The usual," she replied. "Only this time she sent her own letter, saying that I'm a freak, she'd be happy if she never saw me again, she doesn't want me coming to her wedding because I'll just ruin it for her, and she hates everything about me." Lily said this all quite calmly, but as she raised her eyes to look at James, he could see tears brimming in her eyes. "Am I really such a horrible person, James?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. He squeezed her hand, cursing Petunia and her ability to make Lily feel so horrible.

"Of course not," James replied. "You had the guts to offer me a truce after we've been fighting for six years, didn't you?" Lily smiled slightly. "You're a wonderful person, Lily. Don't let anything Petunia says get to you; if she doesn't appreciate the person you are, she isn't worth your time." Lily's smile broadened and she hugged James. Caught by surprise, he stiffened and then relaxed, sliding his arms around her. 

"Thank you," Lily whispered into his chest.

"No problem," James replied. He then held her away at arm's length so he could get a good view of her face. "Now, what was the other thing that was bothering you?"

"Oh, that," Lily said, her smile fading. She started to walk, and James quickly caught up, matching his stride with hers.

"Yes, that," he said. "What's the problem?" 

"Well…" she started, "it's something that was in Mum and Dad's letter. They were mentioning the local news, because I like to stay on top of things in the Muggle world, and in passing, they said something about how there have been several acts of violence in the papers. You know, large fires, entire families found dead in their houses, that sort of thing. But the thing about these deaths is that…well, the Muggles can't trace any sort of source. With the fires, although they suspect arson, there's no apparent reason why they can't be put out with water; when people die, there's no evidence of any weapon."

"What about an icicle?"

"They tried that one, too," Lily said. She then grinned. "Besides, James, it isn't cold enough for icicles yet."

"I was just offering a hypothesis—"

"And it's perfectly valid," she cut in. "But I don't think it's likely. There was _no_ sign of a struggle; nothing was out of place. The only distinctive thing about these murders is that all the people look as if they were terrified out of their minds, and while it _is_ an expression, few people can actually die of fright." She looked piercingly at James. "Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

"Yes," he replied seriously. "It sounds like _Avada Kedavra_."

"That's what I was thinking, too," Lily said, with a nod of her head. "And the thing is…have you been reading the _Daily Prophet_ lately?" James nodded. 

"Mum and Dad make sure that I read it to keep up with what's going on in the world outside Hogwarts," he explained. 

"Have you been reading the small columns at the back?" James shook his head.

"No," he answered. "I just read through the first few pages." 

"Well, I read the whole thing," Lily said. "And there's been mention of several similar deaths in the wizarding world. Oh, of course there's nothing as big as a fire, but there's always some poor witch or wizard who's been killed with _Avada Kedavra_."

"My dad mentioned that," James said. "He's an Auror," he clarified as Lily looked at him curiously. "Said it's the work of some new Dark Wizard who fancies himself a Lord."

"Does he have a name?"

"Apparently calls himself 'Lord Voldemort', and his followers call themselves 'Death Eaters'," James replied. "And he always leaves a calling card; Dad said it's a green smoke thing that looks like a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth." Lily turned white.

"What?" James asked frantically, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her to a stop. "_What?_"

"Mum mentioned some symbol like that being found tattooed on one victim's shoulder," Lily replied. "But the police—law enforcement officials," she explained at James' questioning glance, "merely thought that it was some kind of gang attack, and were trying to track down a group with that symbol. Looks like they were searching in the wrong place."

"Looks like it," James said. "So you're worried for your family?" Lily nodded. "I'm sure they'll be fine, Lily. Besides, you can always set up wards to protect them when you go home for Christmas." She looked at him penetratingly.

"How is it that you, above all others, know exactly what to say to make me feel better?" she asked. 

"Practice," he replied, grinning at her. "Observation, knowing how to push your buttons, that sort of thing." She allowed a smile to grace her face.

"You certainly do know how to push my buttons," she agreed. She then squeezed his hand. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I needed someone to tell all that to."

"Anytime, Lily," James replied, returning the gesture. "Now, aren't we supposed to plan that Hallowe'en Feast?"

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Several hours and balls of parchment later, Lily and James were seated in the middle of the Common Room, which was empty except for the two of them. 

"So," Lily said, pulling her sheet of parchment towards her and setting down her quill, "we've decided that we're not going to have decorations, let alone a color scheme, there will be no form of entertainment, and the Hall is going to be pitch-black because we can't decide how to light it. The only thing we've agreed on is that there's going to be food, but we can't agree on _what_ food we're going to have. And," she looked at her watch, "we're late for rounds. I'd say that we're utter failures as Heads." James grinned.

"Not _utter_ failures," he argued. "We did decide that we'd have food, didn't we?" Lily shook her head, thumping her head on the table with a groan. 

"That is _not_ the point, James," she said, frustrated. "We are supposed to set an example for the school; how can we do that if we can't get along?"

"We just have differing viewpoints," he stated.

"To the extent that we can't agree on _anything?_" she questioned.

"Good point," he agreed.

"That isn't the half of it!" Lily exclaimed. "I have piles of homework waiting for me—"

"Knowing you, it's just one assignment," James interrupted. "Stop stressing out, Lily; everything will be _fine_."

"No, everything will _not_ be fine!" she contradicted, getting slightly hysterical. "I'm failing Transfiguration—"

"Lily, an 'A' is not a failing grade!"

"If I want to become a Healer, it _is!_" Lily retorted. She continued, "I'm neglecting my Head duties—"

"And what do we do every night? Take a midnight stroll around the school for the fun of it?"

"James, will you just _shut up_ for once?" she asked, exasperated. "I'm trying to rant here, and you're not helping matters."

"Lily, ranting is _not_ the way you'll get all of this done," James sighed, reaching across the table and gripping Lily's shoulder. She stiffened at his touch, but did not push him off. "Let it be for once." Lily slumped forwards, resting her head on her hand. She slid James' hand off her shoulder, slapping it for good measure.

"I told you not to manhandle me," she started, but James laughed, cutting her off.

"And you hardly enforce that rule of yours," he pointed out. "Face it, Lils. You like it."

"Do not," she replied sulkily. "And don't call me Lils!" she added as an afterthought. James shook his head. 

"Look, we're not going to get anything done tonight; just give it a rest," he said. "And you need to loosen up, Lily. Why do you take everything so seriously? Life isn't meant to be boring."

"Serious isn't boring!" 

"When you're constantly stressing out because you haven't finished this or the other, it definitely is," James rejoined. "You need to take it easy for once." Lily looked up at him in surrender. 

"How do you always manage to take such a light view of everything?" she asked curiously. James grinned.

"I guess I'm a 'live for the moment' kind of person," he replied. "You know, the 'live every day as if it's your last' attitude. But you, Lily, you're the kind of person whose philosophy is 'plan out every moment to squeeze every last bit of life out of it.'" James squeezed her shoulder. "You need to be impulsive once in a while."

"We need to finish this," Lily said, picking up her quill. James shook his head, removing the quill from her hand. 

"We're taking a break," he said. "Give me a second; I have an idea." He dashed up the stairs to his dormitory, leaving Lily staring after him in surprise. Within two minutes, he had returned, a piece of worn parchment in one hand and a silvery bundle under his arm. 

"Sirius is going to kill me for this," he said, "but you need to get out for a bit."

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.

"This," James held up the silvery bundle, "is an Invisibility Cloak. And this," he held up the parchment, "is the secret of how we can sneak around the school at night and not get caught." Lily leaned forward, looking at the parchment. 

"It's just a piece of old parchment," she said.

"A piece of old parchment?" James asked, sounding shocked and clutching his chest dramatically. "Lily, you wound me. This," he said dramatically, pausing for effect, "is the Marauder's Map." He pressed the tip of his wand to the parchment. "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_," he whispered, and thin lines began to spread from the tip of his wand, forming a map of Hogwarts. Several labeled dots were moving around, and at the top, the parchment declared: 

_ Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

_ are proud to present_

_ THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

Lily gasped in awe. "Where did you get this?" she finally asked.

"We made it," James said proudly. She examined it closer, paying close attention to the heading.

"It's those nicknames again," she stated.

"What?" James asked, confused.

"'Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,'" Lily clarified. "Those are the nicknames you, Peter, Sirius, and Remus use, right?"

"How did you—" James started to ask. She laughed, cutting him off.

"You aren't exactly subtle, James," she said. "The four of you use them all the time. What I don't understand is _how_ you came up with them. Moony's Remus, for obvious reasons, but I don't know who the rest of you are."

"Sirius is Padfoot, Peter's Wormtail, and I'm Prongs," James replied. "It's a long story, though; I'll tell you some other time."

"Promise?" Lily asked, looking up at him. James gulped, knowing he would probably regret his decision—or, at the very least, his friends would make him regret it.

"Promise," he replied. He then unfolded the Invisibility Cloak. "Shall we go?" He glanced at the map. "Filch has turned in for the night and Mrs. Norris isn't anywhere near here."

"Where will we go?" she questioned, getting under the Invisibility Cloak. 

"You'll see," James replied mysteriously, also draping the Cloak over him. 

"This is so weird," Lily said as they exited the Common Room ("Who's there?" the Fat Lady squawked). James grinned. 

"I've been using this for ages, so I'm used to it."

"Shame on you," she joked. "Head Boy and still breaking rules?"

"Did you _really_ expect me to give that up?"

"Nah," Lily replied, "although it would have been interesting. James Potter, abiding by the rules?"

"Never going to happen," he said stoutly. "Now, we have to be quiet; we don't want to be caught by anyone." 

"All right," Lily whispered. James, checking the map at regular intervals, halted in front of a large mirror on the fourth floor. He pulled out his wand and tapped it four times around its golden rim.

"What are you doing?" Lily whispered. 

"Shh!" James warned, repeating his tapping. Suddenly, the mirror melted away, and he smirked in triumph. "That's what I was doing," he replied, pulling her in after him. He shed the Invisibility Cloak, bundling it under his arm again, and checked the Marauder's Map. With a wave of his wand, the mirror reformed, hiding the passage. 

"Where are we going?" she asked. 

"_Lumos_," James muttered, and the tip of his wand flared in the darkness. "You'll see," he said mysteriously, starting off down the passage. Lily lit her wand as well, following him.

"James Potter!" she said. "If you don't tell me where we're going right now, I'm going to go and hand you in to Filch."

"You wouldn't," James said, whirling around.

"Oh, yes, I would," she replied, folding her arms across her chest. "Now, where are we going?"

"Hogsmeade," James sighed. 

"_Hogsmeade?_" Lily was shocked. "This—this passage goes to _Hogsmeade?_" James nodded, and Lily slumped down onto the floor, resting her back against the edge of the passage. "So that's how you always manage to get sweets and Butterbeer so quickly every time we have a Quidditch match." James nodded.

"Of course," he replied. "There are at least five passages that lead out of the grounds and into Hogsmeade. One even goes right into the cellar of Honeydukes." Lily stood up, brushing herself off. 

"So is that where we're going?" she asked. James shook his head.

"No. The one we're in comes out closer to the Three Broomsticks." 

"But that's closed!" James raised an eyebrow, starting to walk on ahead. 

"You think we don't have any deals with Rosie so we can have Butterbeer at whatever hour of the night—or morning," he amended, looking at his watch, "that we choose?" Lily shook her head, following James. 

"The things you four get up to…" She trailed off, smiling slightly. "What else do you have to tell me?"

"If I tell you any more, Remus, Peter, and Sirius might just find some convenient way to off me and make it look like an accident," he joked. Lily, however, did not take his comment lightly, and bit her lip with worry. He sighed. "I wasn't serious."

"But you shouldn't joke about death!" Lily protested. James shook his head.

"Lily, Lily, Lily," he said. "Haven't you realized that my preferred method of dealing with more…unfavorable things or circumstances is through humor? It's easier to think about it in that way."

"But then you don't fully acknowledge problems, and when they come back to haunt you, you regret that you ever tried to make light of them," Lily replied. 

"See, that's where you and I really differ," James said. "You take everything so seriously, and can't imagine anyone having a different way of looking at the world."

"And you?"

"Me?" James appeared slightly surprised at the question. "I'm just the jokester, the one who can't be trusted farther than you can throw him."

"I wouldn't say that," Lily replied. "After all, you have kept Remus' condition a secret this long, haven't you?"

"Glad to know that _someone _has some faith in me," James grinned. "The boys have given me up as a lost case. Now, I brought you out here to lighten up a bit, and we're having a conversation so serious I could cut the air with a knife. Come on. It's about time you dropped that mountain you're carrying on your shoulders." With that, he started running along the passage. Lily laughed and ran to catch up, grinning widely. 

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"So," James said, removing his hands from their position over Lily's eyes. "What do you think?" Lily's mouth fell open in awe.

"I think it's beautiful," she said. James grinned. 

"Good." 

The two were standing on a hill just outside of Hogsmeade. James' Invisibility Cloak was firmly tucked into his belt, the Marauder's Map in his pocket, and he reached into his other pocket to pull out two bottles of Butterbeer. 

"Cheers," he said, handing one to Lily and clinking his against hers before opening it and taking a sip, allowing the warmth to flood through him. Lily followed his example, sighing in delight. 

"I always thought Butterbeer was the most ingenious wizarding invention," she said, sitting down and looking up at the stars. 

"I'd have to disagree," James said, sitting next to her. "I'd say that it's the flying broomstick and the game of Quidditch."

"You _would_," Lily replied, smiling. She took another sip and settled back. "So, how often do you four come here?"

"To the hill?" Lily nodded. "Well," James started, thinking, "we usually come about once every few months; it puts things in perspective." He grinned. "Even Sirius' ego is diminished whenever we come here. Of course, then he starts pointing out his namesake and how it's the brightest start in the sky, indicating how that reflects back upon his life, and how he's the brightest person in our lives." Lily laughed, James smiling along with her. "I guess, in a way, Sirius does light everything up; there's never a dull moment when he's around."

"Amen to that," Lily said, raising her Butterbeer in a toast before tilting her head back and finishing the bottle. They sat in comfortable silence, observing the scene around them for several minutes before Lily glanced at her watch. She then glanced at the sky, standing up.

"Where are you going?" James asked. 

"It's a quarter to two in the morning," Lily commented. "Don't you think we should be getting back?"

"_What?_" James was shocked. "That means we've been out here for," he did some quick calculations, "an hour and a half!" Lily nodded. 

"I think we should head back," she said again. James nodded, jumping up. 

"I'll say!" he exclaimed. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him as they rushed towards Hogsmeade. They stopped at the edge of the town, long enough for James to throw the Cloak over the two of them, and they then made their way to the Three Broomsticks and the secret passage nearby. They walked through the passage and up to Gryffindor Tower in silence, only speaking to give the Fat Lady the password ("finkletop", another one of James' inventions; Lily was thoroughly confused by this, but accepted it as part of James' eccentric nature). Once in the Common Room, they doffed the Cloak. 

"Thank you for that," Lily said, breaking the silence. "I had a good time, even if we were breaking the rules." James shook his head, smiling slightly.

"Lily, Lily, Lily," he said, "when are you going to learn that breaking rules is fun?"

"With your bad influence, I think you'll have me corrupted before I can blink," Lily retorted. She yawned widely. "I guess I should go up to bed. G'night, James."

"'Night," he replied, waving to her as she went up the stairs to her dormitory. She turned around just before walking around the bend and returned the wave with a brilliant smile.

James rushed up to his dorm, grinning widely. If he had been Sirius, he would have whooped, but that was just…a Sirius thing, usually performed when he was on a sugar high—which, James mused, was almost permanently. James then got up, replacing his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map in his trunk before changing into his pajamas and climbing back into bed. He was unable to stop smiling, and as he fell asleep, his grin broadened until it nearly split his face in two.

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Lily sat on her bed, brushing out her hair and smiling to herself. If someone had told her at the beginning of the year that she and James would be friends, she would have told them to go have their head examined. Now, however, she was rushing off to Hogsmeade with him in the dead of the night; who would have thought it? 

_Definitely not me_, Lily thought, placing her brush on her bedside table and pulling her drapes around her bed. She settled into the covers, closing her eyes. She then recalled how wonderful James had looked with the stars reflecting off his glasses…

With that, Lily fell asleep.

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**A/N:** So that's that! We get a lot more of Lily and James, along with a bit of an insight into each one's character, and the entrance of Voldemort. Well, life can't always be perfect… And now, the part where I thank the 19 wonderful people who reviewed Chapter 6!

**angelgurl161:** Yes, of course Lily's falling for James' charm…I must admit, I'm falling for it myself. Heh. I'd better stop doing that, or I'll just go on for ages about how good-looking James is and how Lily's an idiot for not succumbing to his charms earlier…Putting an end to it…NOW. *Grins* I'm glad you liked it; as always, thanks for beta-ing!

**FrightninglyObsessed:** Lol. A drinking song? *shakes finger* Naughty, naughty. Yeah, I love that song. Thanks!

**child-of-scorpio:** Ooh, a lovely long review! Yes, three IS the magic number…don't get me started on it, though. I'll end up giving you so many examples your head will be reeling. Yeah, I liked the "manhandling" part…Lily's such a hypocrite, isn't she? *shakes head* Bad, bad Lily. Oh, I actually like maths…but proofing is a pain in the arse. Lol. I'm blushing now…I'm an "excellent, excellent, excellent writer"? I highly doubt I'll have anything publishable anyways, so…I don't think JKR will have to worry. Oh, shucks…I guess I'll have to find another way to get you to update quickly…Yes, computers always get grammar and spelling wrong when they check it. *bashes computer, then realizes she's just destroyed her only means to retain sanity…then bashes head on the keyboard…and realizes she's an idiot* Sorry. *blushes again* "Best Fanfiction Writer"? What are you _on?_ *Grins* If anything, that award belongs to you! Okay, I'll stop the modesty jag now. Umm…all right…I hope you aren't dead by now, because then I'll feel responsible, and punish myself horribly. Anyways, thanks for reviewing, and your review made me laugh!

**J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Erin):** Thanks!

**LJstagflower4e/JCtigerwolf4e:** Yes, I like fluff…Lol. Thanks!

**sweetthing131:** Yeah, I guess I do have self-esteem issues. Oh, well. Lol. Thanks!

**SoulAvenger:** Of course Lily keeps denying the "little things", but she's slowly falling under James' spell…who wouldn't? Even _I _am! I'm glad you like their inability to stop arguing…Thanks!

**Elven Dagger:** It's fine that it's short…hope your headache's better. Thanks!

**charlene:** Thanks!

**Lady of Masbolle:** A beta-reader is a person who checks over your story and gives you suggestions, corrects your grammar/spelling, etc. Yeah, Lily and James are the perfect match! Thanks!

**Agloechen:** It's all right that you're insane. So'm I…join the club! Hmm…maybe I should get you to write little advertisements for my story…Just kidding. Thanks!

**ArianaEvans (Monica):** Thanks! I'm glad you like Lily…I don't like her being TOO perfect, nor do I like her being your typical "bad girl"…*shudders* Ugh. I'm glad you think she's human; that _is_ my goal, after all. Yeah…I needed that "bonding" time; I was getting a little sick of _all_ the fighting…Of course, if Lily and James _never_ fought, that would be deadly dull. If I made them "suddenly be together" post-the morning incident, that would have just been unrealistic; I mean, if you hated someone, and suddenly shared a "make-you-grin-inside-crush-feeling moment" with them, then that just means that you feel more romantically inclined towards that person, however slightly…I try to be logical, even though I'm everything but. I'm happy that Lily's becoming more relaxed around James (and I'm happy about all of these things because my characters direct my pen, so to speak…I'm no good at doing it on my own). Ick…all of James and Lily's friends dating? Spare me the torture, please. *Grin* Marlene and Dorcas _do_ complement Sirius, I guess, but…no. That's another reason why I had Lily be friends with Alice, as she's dating Frank, and therefore accounted for. Oh…the Lily walking up behind her friends at lunch thing is the kind of thing I'd do. I tend to take inspiration for my characters in bits and pieces from myself and my experiences, and of course throw in bits and pieces of my friends' experiences. For example, Sirius' inability to sit still is based upon my own brother's not being able to wait for something. I'm sure that if you pulled things from your own life, whatever you write would _never_ be boring. 

And angelgurl121 thanks you profusely.

**Vampchick001:** Thanks!

**MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus:** Yeah, I want them together too, but the path of true love ne'er did run smooth. *wink* Thanks!

**LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR:** Ooh…a long review; I _love_ long reviews! *grin* I'm sure you can find a regular thesaurus somewhere in your house; be creative! I'm glad you at least think it's great, though…Yeah, I thought the sunrise thing was sweet, too…I read it over again and sighed wistfully. Lol. I'm glad you like Lily's friends' personalities…yeah, no one can really keep track of their big fat mouths. Thanks!

**Hogwarts-Drama-Queen:** Well, I met your challenge. *sticks out tongue* So there! Yeah, I feel bad for Moony, too…and I'll never tell! Just kidding…you'll find out eventually, when I figure out who got in there myself. Lol. Of _course_ I'm perfect…Okay, I'll stop. Yes, Yoda I am. Glad you remembered that I am. *Grin* Thanks!

**jess131346:** Lol. I think Lily can kiss James without needing a reason to do so. However, we've been given an insight into how bad she is with relationships…hint, hint. I think…7 cookies this time? Yes, that sounds about right. *Grin* Thanks!

**kittygirl220:** Thanks!

**Sakura:** Thanks!

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**A/N:** *Porky Pig voice* And that's all for now, folks! *end Porky Pig voice* Chapter Eight will come out whenever it does…I don't have a deadline set, so you'll just have to wait. As always, big thanks to my beta, angelgurl121! Review, please; you guys bring sunshine and happiness into my heart. 

~Eos


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story. The plot is slightly mine, but not entirely. Everything you recognize belongs to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the magician who created the _Harry Potter _series.

**Summary:** Once, Alice had asked Lily why she and James never got along. In answer, Lily had replied, "Potter and I are incompatible." It was the only thing she and James agreed upon. 

**A/N:** I'm really sorry that this chapter took so long in coming; circumstances were just against me. It's long, so I hope that makes up for some of the long wait…And I'd like to apologize to my beta, **angelgurl161**, who is NOT "angelgurl121", as I have been saying…I think I need glasses…Lol. Anyways, I'll stop so you can read the chapter!

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**_INCOMPATIBLE_**

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Let me get this straight," Sirius said, furrowing his brows. It was the day after James and Lily's trip to Hogsmeade, and James was sitting with his friends in their dorm, telling them about their excursion the previous night. Sirius continued, "You spend ages talking with Lily out on the Quidditch Pitch—which, by the way, you won't say anything about, because Lily made you _promise_ not to—then, the two of you work on planning the Hallowe'en Feast until midnight." Sirius paused, taking a breath, and finished, "You then proceeded to give her a lecture about not stressing so much, after which you show her the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map, _and_ take her through a secret passage to Hogsmeade, where you show her how we get butterbeer after hours and then take her to our hill." He shook his head in disbelief. "I never thought it would happen, but…you love her, mate." Remus and Peter nodded in agreement.

"I don't _love_ her!" James exclaimed, throwing up his hands in frustration. "I just like her a little!"

"A _little?_" Remus scoffed. "Prongs, you're so smitten with her that you can't see straight. Think about it. Before this year, would you have ever _considered_ sharing any of our secrets with her?"

"Well, I don't know," James said, trying his best to avoid the question, though he knew full well that he was horrible at lying, and his friends would soon call his bluff. "I mean, I barely knew her, and she was a Prefect, and we've always been at war with the Prefects—except for you, Moony, of course—and, well, I never really liked her, and—" He was cut off by his friends' laughter.

"You—you are _so_ bad at lying," Sirius gasped out. 

"Your face was bright red!" Peter snickered. James scowled at his friends, but said nothing, knowing his friends were right; he could practically _feel_ the heat spreading across his face. He huffed as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I hate you guys," he declared.

"Aww, thanks, Prongsie," Sirius said, jumping on his friend's bed. 

"Don't call me that!" James snapped angrily.

"What? Prongsie?" Sirius asked innocently.

"Yes!" James snapped. Sirius grinned wickedly.

"Well, then," he said, standing up, "Prongsie likes Lily! Prongsie likes Lily! Prongsie likes Lily! Prongsie likes Lily!" he sung, dancing around the dorm.

"Shut up!" James said, irritated. Sirius immediately sat down and started crying (or faking it—James was unable to tell, as his friend was hiding his face). 

"Prongsie hates me," he wailed. James sighed heavily.

"What part of 'shut up' do you _not_ understand?" James asked, burying his face in his hands.

"I think it's the 'shut'," Peter supplied helpfully.

"Or the 'up'," Remus added. They then looked at each other and grinned.

"Or both," they said in unison. James groaned.

"Is today 'Torture James Potter Day' or something?" he asked, his voice muffled by his hands. Sirius was still bawling loudly.

"Uh-huh," Peter replied. "You just missed the memo on the Notice Board."

"Ha ha, very funny," James replied sarcastically, looking up from his hands. "And Padfoot, stop that infernal racket!" Sirius' howling only grew in intensity. Peter started rubbing his temples, closing his eyes and wincing.

"Padfoot, you're giving me a headache again," he groaned. Remus sighed, flicking his wand at Peter, who smiled thankfully at his friend as the pounding in his head lessened. Remus then stood up and walked over to where Sirius was sitting on the floor.

"Padfoot, stop this right now," he commanded, folding his arms across his chest. "Prongs doesn't hate you. Isn't that right, James?" He looked pointedly at James, who nodded fervently; at this point, he would do anything to shut Sirius up.

"Of course not, Padfoot," he reassured his friend. "How could you ever think that?" Sirius sniffed, raising his head from his hands. His face was dry.

"Ha ha!" he exclaimed, jumping up. "Fooled you that time, didn't I?" James only groaned as he collapsed backwards onto his bed, cursing as his head hit the headboard. The other three laughed, all talk of James' fancying Lily forgotten. James hoped the subject would never come up again, but knew that it was unlikely—his friends were as unwilling to let go of something as a Grindylow, and he was sure that he would get no peace for the rest of the year. He groaned softly at the idea; it was a thought almost _too_ horrific to contemplate.

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A week passed, and Lily and James saw little of each other outside of classes, as they were trying to keep up with all the work their teachers were piling on them; they had even managed to get Professor Dumbledore's permission to skip rounds for the week. Both were often heard complaining loudly to their friends about the stress of taking six N.E.W.T. classes. As always, they were reminded that taking the six courses had been _their_ choice, and not anyone else's, leaving both Lily and James snapping at anyone who disturbed the peace of the Common Room for the rest of the night. 

When Friday afternoon finally rolled around, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, glad to finally have a break from their classes—except for Lily and James.

"Lily, do you want to come outside with us?" Marlene asked that Friday afternoon in the Common Room. Classes had just finished and many students were trying to enjoy what was left of autumn before snow fell; it was unusually cold that year.

"I can't!" Lily exclaimed, scribbling furiously on her Charms essay. "I have so much work to do before Monday—finish my Charms essay, write a 3-foot essay for Professor McGonagall on Human Transfiguration and practice it so I don't embarrass myself in class, research and write a two-and-a-half-foot essay on Veritaserum, draw a labeled picture of an occamy for Care of Magical Creatures—"

"Argh!" Dorcas made a sound in her throat and rushed forward, grabbing Lily by the shoulders and shaking her slightly. "Will you _stop it?_ It's a perfectly lovely day ("It's 4 degrees out there!" Lily exclaimed, but Dorcas ignored her), and you're ruining it by talking about homework. It's _Friday_, Lils. The bloody _weekend!_ ("Language, Dorcas!" Lily exclaimed, but Dorcas brushed her off.) You need to take a break!"

"I can't afford to take a break!" Lily protested, removing Dorcas' hands from her shoulders. "And don't call me Lils," she added as an afterthought, resuming her frantic writing. Dorcas threw up her hands in despair.

"I give up, _Lils_," she said, emphasizing the word "Lils" to irritate her friend. "Just don't come crying to us when you kill yourself from overwork." 

"I assure you I will do nothing of the sort," Lily said, not looking up as she worked on her essay. "And did I not tell you to not call me 'Lils'?"

"Lils, Lils, Lils, Lils, _Lils!_" Dorcas retorted, hands on her hips. 

"Ooh, you…" Lily looked up and reached into her pocket for her wand.

"Me what?" Dorcas asked, grinning at having finally garnered some sort of reaction from her friend.

"You make me want to hex you!" the redhead answered heatedly. 

"Then go ahead and hex me!" Dorcas exclaimed. "What's stopping you?" Lily smiled wickedly and pulled out her wand, twirling it before pointing it directly at Dorcas. She then lowered it, biting her lip.

"I can't hex you; I'll get a detention!" she said, turning back to her work as she pocketed her wand. "And if I get a detention, I'll never be able to finish my homework!" Dorcas groaned, turning to Marlene and Alice, who were standing a little ways behind her. 

"Come on, you two, let's go," she said. "Our esteemed Head Girl obviously has much better things to do than spend time with us." She left with Marlene, but Alice stayed behind. 

"She's right, you know," she said quietly, sitting down next to Lily.

"I know," Lily sighed. "But…really, Alice, I'm so bogged down with work that I can't see any way to lessen my load. As soon as I finish something, there's something else for me to do. And if I manage to finish all of my work _now_, I may get ahead, and be able to keep myself from being so stressed out."

"Why don't you just tell that to Dorcas?"

"Because she won't understand," Lily explained. "She puts off all her work until the last minute, and doesn't see the point in working ahead."

"I guess you're right," Alice said, standing up. "But won't you come out with us?"

"Maybe in a little while, when I've actually finished some of this," Lily said, gesturing to the piles of books and parchment that surrounded her. "But don't count on it."

"All right," Alice said, knowing that Lily's answer was the best she could hope to receive. She left, and Lily turned back to her essay with a sigh, knowing that although she would finish her work and—hopefully—have time to goof off later, she would still regret not spending more time with her friends. After all, who knew what would happen when they left Hogwarts? Lily did not claim to be able to see the future, nor did she _want_ to know. 

In any case, Voldemort had made his presence known in the past week, with an attack on an Auror's household (his name had yet to be disclosed). There had apparently been a commotion there one night, and when the neighbors—who were also wizards—investigated the next day, they found the prone bodies of the Auror and his family, killed by the _Avada Kedavra_ curse. There had been a green smoke image of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth, hovering eerily over their bodies. The front page of the _Evening Prophet_ that day had been splashed with pictures of the killing, causing the entire wizarding world to be on edge. The _Prophet _had also done some research and had come to the same conclusions that Lily had a few weeks earlier: this attack was linked to the mysterious disappearances and deaths that had been occurring in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds.

And then a letter, marked with the same skull that had been found at the site of the murders, arrived at the Ministry of Magic, addressed to the Minister, throwing the magical community into a state of panic. The _Prophet_ had somehow managed to see the letter sent to the Minister, and then printed it in the paper, causing mass hysteria. It had been signed by Voldemort himself, and in it, he stated a campaign against those who were "impure"—Muggles, for the most part, but a smaller threat had been sent about Muggleborns and half-bloods—and "unfit to live." He called his followers "Death Eaters," a name that, in the space of a few short days, had become synonymous with terror. A few people were even scared to utter Voldemort's name, instead opting to call him "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," and the skull with the snake coming out of his mouth, which seemed to be Voldemort's symbol, had been named the "Dark Mark."

Security was at an all-time high as the wizarding world entered a state of terror that had not been seen since the time of Grindelwald, in the 1940s, and even Hogwarts, isolated from the world as it was, was not immune to the effects of Voldemort. None of the students were allowed to be out past curfew, with the exception of the Prefects and Head Students, and even then, only the teachers were allowed out past midnight. And now, owls from the Ministry of Magic were arriving daily, and there was always one student or another rushing out of the Great Hall in tears. Lily, especially, was worried.

She had not told anyone, but she had noticed a pattern in the deaths of all of the wizards and witches. Every single one of them had been a Muggleborn or been openly against the Dark Arts. Of course, some the more influential purebloods—including the McKinnons, the Bones, and the Potters—were still unscathed, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort turned his attentions to them. She was afraid that telling someone would make them worry for her even more than they already were. 

A loud explosion from the other side of the Common Room jerked Lily out of her reverie and she looked up, her eyes narrowing as she discovered the source of the commotion. Sirius, in characteristic curiosity (and no small amount of idiocy—both attributable to the large quantity of sugar he had consumed with his breakfast; he had attacked the sugar bowl), had decided to construct a castle using five decks of Exploding Snap cards. Of course, as luck would have it, it was not until he put the very last one into place that it exploded, and the combined force of the 260 cards had started a small fire. 

Sirius was sitting in front of the tiny blaze, watching it in fascination as the people around him started to yell and run away in fright. Lily's green eyes narrowed even further, and she stormed over to the scene of the disaster. She immobilized the flames with a flame-freezing charm to prevent them from causing any more damage and extinguished the fire with jets of water from her wand. With another flick of her wand, she restored the carpet to its original state before turning and glaring at the rest of the Gryffindors.

"I suppose you all forgot how to perform a simple flame-freezing charm?" she asked angrily, hands on her hips. There was no answer. Lily then turned to the perpetrator, whose eyebrows were thoroughly singed. 

"And Sirius, what possessed you to do such a stupid thing? _Five _decks of Exploding Snap cards? You're lucky no one was hurt! What were you _thinking_?"

"Er…I wasn't?" Sirius hazarded, looking up at her in fear.

"Too right you weren't," Lily said briskly. "But to prevent any further incidents, two weeks' detention and thirty points from Gryffindor—twenty for your lack of foresight and a further ten for the fact that no one had the presence of mind to put out the fire." At the loud outcry from the other members of the common room, she whirled around, eyes flashing. "Would you like me to make it fifty?" Silence.

"Don't you think that's being a little harsh, Lily?" Remus finally spoke up from his seat in the opposite corner of the common room. "After all, you can hardly blame people for being scared of fire."

"I don't see you saying anything to Sirius about his idiocy," she retorted, turning on him. The rest of the Gryffindors, relieved that Lily's redheaded temper had been averted from them, carefully returned to where they were sitting—with one exception. There was a ten-foot radius surrounding Lily and Sirius, with only Remus and Peter daring to sit close enough to incur her wrath. Idly, she wondered where James was before focusing back on Remus, her eyes narrowed in anger.

"You're doing a fine enough job," Remus replied, his eyes glimmering with amusement. "Besides, the day that Sirius listens to my advice is the day that James can actually sing."

"Which is never," Peter grinned from his seat next to Remus.

"I _did_ warn him that the consequences if the castle exploded might be a little more…dangerous," Remus added, "but our friend here," he gestured to Sirius, "never listens. Isn't that right, Sirius?" Sirius nodded enthusiastically, still experiencing the aftereffects of consuming more sugar than was healthy for him.

"That's right, Moon-Remus," he agreed, catching himself before he broadcasted Remus' nickname to the rest of Gryffindor. Lily raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"All right, then," she said. "It's twenty points from Gryffindor. Remus, you really should consider becoming a diplomat." She started to walk back to her table, but paused, turning around.

"And Sirius?" she said, her eyes twinkling. 

"Yes?" Sirius asked warily. He knew the grin that Lily was wearing all too well—she was very pleased with herself, for some reason.

"Stick to Gobstones," she advised. Her grin broadened as Sirius stared at her, eyes wide. Remus watched the scene, his mouth twitching slightly. It was really amazing how she could go from being furious and yelling at Sirius to cheerful and joking in a matter of seconds—maybe that was why James was so attracted to her. The two of them certainly had enough mood swings to last any normal person a lifetime. 

Peter tugged on Remus' sleeve, bringing him back to reality. With a sigh, he turned back to helping his friend with his Transfiguration essay, wishing for the umpteenth time that the N.E.W.T.s would just shrivel up and die. Of course, that was as likely as Sirius' turning to the Dark Side and becoming a Death Eater, he mused with another sigh.

Remus shook his head and focused on Human Transfiguration, wishing that the book in front of him would burst into flames—although, he mulled with a hint of amusement, Lily would probably crucify him if it did…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

James had spent the entire afternoon in the Library avoiding his friends. They had taken to showing up at inopportune moments throughout the week and trying to persuade him to ask Lily out; he had finally tired of it and taken refuge in the Library, knowing that if they even _dared_ to bug him there, he could just set Madam Pince on them. He still remembered the incident when, in Fifth Year, his friends had pestered him about the same thing, and, upon his complaining to the Librarian, the three boys had been chased out of the library by their belongings. Remus' bag had been a particular danger, as it had been full of books, and poor Peter had had to spend a night in the hospital wing, trying to recuperate from the numerous blows he had suffered to his head. 

So when Remus turned up on his own in the Library, apparently looking for someone, James tried to hide his head behind the massive pile of books in front of him. Of course, Remus being Remus, he immediately knew where James was, and made a beeline for the far corner of the Library. 

"Hello, Prongs," he whispered amiably, pulling out the chair next to James' and sitting down. James glared at him.

"If you're here to bug me about Lily again…" He trailed off ominously. Remus smiled slightly.

"It's rather interesting that no matter how hard you try to keep us from talking to you about Lily, you _always_ bring her up in conversation," he said. James' scowl intensified. "But no, I'm not here to talk to you about Lily. I've just about given up; between the full moon, trying to keep Padfoot from doing anything stupid while suffering from a sugar high, and trying to convince you to face your feelings for Lily, I've spread myself thin. I think I'll stick with surviving the next few days and trying to dissuade Padfoot from his idiotic ventures; he started a small fire in the Common Room today."

"You're kidding," James stated, his eyes widening slightly behind his glasses. Remus shook his head.

"You know how he was talking about building a card castle using five decks of Exploding Snap cards?" James nodded. "Well, he did it. And, just as luck would have it, the thing didn't explode until Padfoot put the _last_ card on. Then, of course, it started a small fire and everyone ran away. Lily was having a fit." Remus' smile broadened. "She can scare Padfoot just as much as your mum can. He didn't even have one of his perfect excuses on hand, just admitted that he hadn't thought ahead."

"Really?" the black-haired boy asked. Remus nodded. "Wow," James breathed. "She's _amazing_."

"I really don't see why you can't just ask her out if you think she's so wonderful," Remus commented. James glowered, and his friend raised his hands in surrender. "But we won't get into that. The real reason I came here is because there's a Prefect meeting in," he checked his watch, "two minutes, and I didn't think you remembered."

"There is?" James asked, his head shooting up. Remus nodded. "Shoot! Lily's going to have my head on a platter if I'm not there!" James leapt up, stuffed his things into his bag, and dashed out of the room. Remus grinned. 

"What do you think he'll say when he finds out that the meeting isn't for another hour and that Lily's the only one there?" Sirius whispered, coming out from his hiding place behind the bookshelf. Peter joined them, shaking with mirth. 

"He's going to have _your_ head, Moony!" he exclaimed. Remus chuckled.

"He'll thank us later. Besides, he needs to get the Hallowe'en Feast ready…last I heard, we're going to be eating in a dark, undecorated Great Hall—and we're going to eat whatever the House Elves feel like preparing." Sirius stared at his friend.

"No food? No pumpkins? No things we can use to prank Snape?" he asked incredulously. Remus sighed, shaking his head.

"No, Padfoot," he said. "And if you keep up in that manner, I won't help you with your prank, _and_ you'll end up with detention from now until you graduate."

"That's just cruel, Moony," Sirius said. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" He widened his eyes and stuck out his lower lip, trying to look as pathetic as possible. He failed miserably, as the other two boys started laughing.

"Padfoot, don't _ever_ try to gain sympathy with that look," Peter laughed. "You look like you're dying." Remus laughed even harder, causing Sirius to join in. Suddenly aware of another presence in their group, Peter looked up, and gulped as he saw Madam Pince standing next to the table, seeming to tower several feet above them. Luckily, none of them had brought any of their belongings in with them, so she just chased them out of the Library herself. They collapsed in the corridor outside, still laughing, and wondered how their friend was faring with Lily.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lily was sitting in a chair at the front of the room in which the Prefects held all their meetings, her Potions text open on her lap as she scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment, glancing at the book every so often. Several other books were lying open, scattered around her chair, and she would occasionally peek at them as well. 

She heard the door open and looked up, smiling as James rushed into the room, closing the door behind him. He looked around wildly and, upon seeing no one but Lily, ran his hand through his hair nervously and looked around.

"Have I missed the meeting?" he asked. Lily looked up at him in surprise.

"It hasn't even started yet, James," she said. "It won't start for another fifty-five minutes."

"_Fifty-five?_" James repeated. Lily nodded, glancing at her watch.

"Fifty-five," she confirmed, resuming her frantic scribbling. James glared at something over her head.

"Moony is going to _pay_," he declared. 

"Why?" she asked curiously, looking up at him. 

"He told me that I was late for the meeting," he replied, still glowering. She smiled. 

"Is that all?" she asked. "It doesn't seem like such a big deal—"

"It is when I want to get my work done so I can actually get some sleep for once," James cut in. Lily nodded.

"I can see where you're coming from. Have you started the Potions homework yet?"

"Are you kidding? I think Malotier's trying to kill us with all the work he's assigned. I mean, a full two-and-a-half feet on Veritaserum? I don't think there are even two complete paragraphs about it in our textbook!" 

"That's what the Library's for," Lily replied, gesturing to the books surrounding her. "You want to use them when I'm done?"

"Sure," James said, perching himself on the arm of the chair. He read over her shoulder, "_Veritaserum is probably the best-known truth serum. A clear-colored liquid, it is sometimes mistaken for such fluids as water and vodka_—" He paused, looking up at Lily in surprise. "Vodka?"

"That's what the book said!" she exclaimed, pulling her essay away as she continued to write. "Who am I to argue with such facts?"

"Lily, what book did you find it in?" he asked, amused. She pointed at a book with a purple cover, and James picked it up, looking at the title.

"_The Subtle Science of Potions-Making: Everything You Always Wanted to Know But Were Too Afraid to Ask_," he read. He stared at her. "You trust this?"

"Severus Snape recommended it when I asked him for suggestions," Lily said, snatching the book from his hands. James grinned.

"Lily, Lily, Lily," he said, shaking his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, looking up at him.

"You're too trusting," James answered. "Did you honestly think that Snivellus would help you without any ulterior motives? He's a Slytherin!"

"Which means absolutely nothing," she retorted.

"Oh?" he asked. "Name me one Slytherin in our year who's decent to Gryffindors."

"Well…um…" Lily fumbled for an answer and James folded his arms across his chest triumphantly.

"See? There aren't any!"

"But the rest of the books Severus recommended to me were really helpful!" Lily argued. "You can't just damn him because of who he is!"

"Of course I can," James answered. "He's _Snivellus_, Lily. That alone should tell you what he is. He's a Death Eater in training!"

"No, he's not," Lily replied, shaking her head. "Not all Slytherins will be Death Eaters, you know."

"But most of them will, and even if they don't dare to enlist in Voldemort's army, they'll all still support him! They think he has the right idea, Lily!"

"And how would you know?" she demanded. "Are you sneaking into the Slytherin Common Room nowadays?"

"No—Sirius told me," James replied. Lily nodded in understanding. Of all the Seventh Year Gryffindors, Sirius was the one who truly knew the most about the Slytherins and their mannerisms, the Blacks being some of the darkest purebloods in the wizarding world. "When Sirius ran away and came to my place, he told me that his brother Regulus had already joined the ranks of the Death Eaters." Sirius had run away from home the summer after Fifth Year and was now living with James, having grown fed up with his family's pureblood mentality. "So really, Lily, I'd advise you to stay away from them."

"Thanks, but I can make my own decisions," she replied coldly, pulling her essay towards her and starting to write once more, making it obvious that the discussion on the Slytherins was over. James sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration, making it even messier than usual. 

"Look, Lils, I'm just concerned about you," he tried to justify himself to her. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"And I appreciate your sentiments," Lily answered him, still writing. "But I do believe that I can take care of myself."

"Merlin, Lily!" James exclaimed, suppressing the urge to punch the wall. "What is _wrong_ with accepting help from other people?" There was silence in the room as Lily scribbled something more, and then, with a flourish, she placed her quill in the inkpot on the table next to her, rolling up her parchment. She waved her wand, causing all of the books lying around her to form a neat stack next to her, and then turned to face James.

"I won't always have other people there to help me," she explained. "I have to know how to get along on my own."

"It won't hurt you to let people in once in a while!" James retorted. 

"I do," Lily contradicted. "It's just…" She sighed, deep in thought. She bit her lip and then looked back up at James. "This is so weird."

"What?" James asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. We've apparently hated each other since First Year, and now, in a matter of weeks, we're suddenly fairly good friends. I don't think I've had a civil conversation with you since the first day of First Year, and now, all of a sudden, we're talking all the time. You _have_ to admit that this is so…_weird_." James was pensive for a few moments; he had never thought of his sudden friendship with Lily that way. 

"I suppose," he admitted. "But all the same, it's a bit…refreshing not to argue with you constantly." Lily smiled slightly.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" She shook her head slightly in disbelief. "I never thought we'd get along—ever. Whenever I thought of the future, I always imagined that even when I was old and gray, I'd still hate James Potter." Her smile broadened. "I guess it shows how people can change."

"I guess so," James replied, a little unnerved by her declaration. Even though he had maintained the same sentiments for several years, it still made him unhappy when he was reminded of how much Lily had hated him. He was very glad things had changed—Lily, once he got past the façade of the "Perfect Prefect" that he had christened her, was an intriguing person, and certainly more his intellectual equal than any of the other girls he had known, let alone dated. 

"What're you thinking about?" Lily's voice cut through James' thoughts, jerking him out of his reverie.

"Nothing, really," he answered. "Just…I'm glad we changed."

"Me, too," she smiled. James returned her smile with his own lopsided grin, and she was suddenly struck by how piercing his hazel eyes were. Even behind his glasses, which were slightly fogged, they held a penetrating quality that drew Lily's gaze to them. Suddenly aware that she was staring, she blushed slightly and averted her eyes.

"So," she commented, "since we never got to finish planning the Hallowe'en Feast last weekend, do you want to see if we can make any decisions now?"

"Sure," he agreed, grinning as he remembered their constant arguing over the preparations for the Feast. "What do you want to start with?" Lily reached into her bag, pulling out a sheet of parchment, and picked up her quill.

"How about the decorations?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Several minutes later, Remus entered the Prefect Meeting Room. He smiled as he saw Lily and James arguing heatedly over something, and struggled to keep his laughter inside. However, he was unsuccessful, and a soft chuckle escaped him, alerting Lily and James to his presence. Their eyes locked upon him, and he grinned.

"'Lo, Prongs," he said. "You're early!"

"You'd better watch your back, Moony," James said through gritted teeth. "You never know what I might do for revenge."

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself," Remus remarked. "Is arguing with Lily your new stress reliever?"

"Ha ha, very funny," James said dryly, glowering at his friend.

"Thank you, I thought it was," Remus responded. Lily laughed. 

"Remus, maybe you can help us," she said. "We can't decide on decorations for the Hallowe'en Feast. Pumpkins or none?"

"Pumpkins, definitely," Remus answered. "Hagrid will be so disappointed if we don't use those huge orange ones he's been procuring." 

"Ha!" James exclaimed, turning to Lily. "I told you so!"

"James, I haven't forgotten that incident in Fourth Year where the pumpkins caused absolute havoc and set fire to all of the Slytherin drapes in the Hall," Lily retorted, scribbling something on her parchment. "I don't want a repeat of that—you're lucky Professor Dumbledore found it so amusing, or you'd still be in detention for that. Remember how livid Malotier was?"

"Merlin, I'll _never_ forget the look on that old devil's face!" James chortled. "Wish I'd taken a picture. My only regret is that he didn't burn up with those banners…"

"James!" Lily exclaimed, shocked.

"Ah, come on, Lils," he protested earnestly. "You can't say that you'd mind if he died. Frankly, I think we'd all be better off without him." Lily shook her head.

"Will you ever grow up?"

"Nope," James said proudly. Lily sighed. 

"Moving on," she turned back to her parchment, "for the other decorations: black or orange?" She looked expectantly at Remus.

"Both," he replied. James and Lily looked at each other in surprise.

"Now why didn't _we_ think of that?" James asked in wonderment.

"Maybe it's because you're too stubborn to compromise?" Lily answered snidely.

"Well, _excuse_ me, Miss 'I'm-so-perfect-I'd-never-do-such-a-thing-as-not-compromise'," James retorted. "You were as stubborn as I was!"

"I was not!" Lily replied angrily.

"You were too!" James rejoined.

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was not!"

"Were too!'

"Was not was not was not!"

"Were too were too were too!"

"Was not was—"

"Oh, will the two of you give it a rest?" Remus burst out. "No _wonder_ you can't decide on anything!" Lily and James flushed, glaring at each other one last time for good measure.

"Sorry, Remus," Lily apologized.

"Won't happen again," James assured his friend. Remus laughed.

"You two will argue as long as both of you still draw breath," he contradicted his friend. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were both on your deathbeds, and still yelling 'Was not!' and 'Were too!' at each other!"

"We're not _really_ that bad, are we, Remus?" Lily asked, frowning slightly.

"Yes, you are," he answered with a grin. "Now what else couldn't you agree on?" Lily consulted her list.

"Should we have entertainment?" she asked him.

"Of course!" Remus said. "Do you want us to be bored out of our minds?"

"I told you so!" Lily exclaimed, turning to James.

"So?" he retorted. "You have to admit that your idea of having the ghosts provide entertainment isn't very interesting—they do it every year!"

"So then what do you propose?" Lily asked him. James thought a little.

"I think we should have bats fly in at the very beginning, and then we should have a troupe of dancing skeletons—that would be different and would still keep with the theme of Hallowe'en," he suggested. Lily tilted her head and stared at him for a little while. "What?" he asked, unnerved by her gaze. "What did I say?"

"You know, that might just work," Lily admitted. "That's a really good idea, James." James grinned, turning slightly pink at the compliment. She scribbled it down on her parchment as Remus smiled.

"I don't think you guys need me at all," he stated. "You're doing quite well on your own—you just might want to remember that the meeting starts in about," he checked his watch, "five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Lily exclaimed. She looked around her at the balls of parchment scattered on the floor. "I have to clean this place up!" She leapt up and started picking them up, but James stopped her. 

"_Evanesco_," he said, waving his wand at the crumpled-up parchment, which disappeared. Lily smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks," she said. "I tend to forget that I'm a witch sometimes; I'm so used to the Muggle way of doing things, even after all these years."

"It's okay," James answered. "We all have little moments like that." He paused. "What I _still _don't understand is how you Muggles get along without magic." Lily laughed.

"Quite easily, actually," she answered. "Yes, it's more convenient to just be able to wave your wand, say a few words, and have the house clean, but working the Muggle way can be fun."

"Says you," Hestia Jones, a black-haired, half-blood Prefect from Ravenclaw, retorted, entering the room. She was in Sixth Year, and was known around the school for having had a nervous breakdown the previous year due to the stress of the O.W.L.s. "_I_ think it's horrid," she continued. Lily laughed.

"That's what Mum says, but I enjoy it, so she makes me clean the house."

"Ugh," Hestia shuddered. "I _hate _cleaning, period—I'm a right slob."

"You can't be as bad as Sirius," Remus said from his seat near the back of the room. "It's a miracle he can find his clothes in the morning; there's so much junk in his part of the room. We even had to make a barrier to prevent any of his things from leaving that area, or the whole room would be covered in his stuff." James laughed.

"Remember when his textbook came flying at him because he threw it onto my bed?" he asked. Remus joined his friend's laughter. "He was nearly decapitated!" James explained to the two girls, who also started laughing at the thought of a book flying at Sirius' head. 

As the other Prefects filed in, chatting amongst themselves, Lily and James collected themselves and took their seats. Hestia laughed for a little longer with Remus before sitting next to him as Lily cleared her throat for order. Everyone quieted down, the Slytherins taking longer than the rest and only falling silent when James glared at them.

"Right, then," Lily said, pulling out a sheaf of parchment from her bag. "I'll start by taking attendance." She glanced around. "Is anyone missing?" Near the back of the room, a boy raised his hand. "Yes?" Lily asked.

"Regulus Black isn't here," he stated. 

"And did Mr. Black give you a reason for not being here?"

"I believe he said something about 'not wanting to work with a Mudblood Head Girl'," Severus Snape cut in. He was standing in the back corner, his back against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest, giving him the look of a dark presence looming over everyone. At his words, there was a general uproar, and several Prefects leapt up, James included.

"Take that back," he said dangerously, his wand out and pointed at Snape.

"James!" Lily exclaimed, standing up as well. "Stop it!" James hesitated.

"That's right, Potter, listen to your Mudblood girlfriend!" a voice jeered at him. James whirled around to face the direction from which the voice had come, gripping his wand so hard that his knuckles were white. 

"Who said that?" he demanded harshly. The room was silent. "Who?" When there was no answer, he turned his wand back to Snape. Lily took advantage of the quiet to step forwards and grab James' arm, forcing his wand down. 

"What are you doing, you idiot?" she hissed in his ear. "Let me handle this—I've had to deal with it for all of my Hogwarts years. Just stop it! You're making a mess of everything!" James tucked his wand into his pocket, hanging his head. "I'll speak with you later," Lily promised quietly. She then turned to the rest of the room, taking charge. 

"Everyone, sit down." Most of the Prefects obeyed, with the exception of the Slytherins. "Sit down and be quiet, or I'll speak to your Head of House and have your badges revoked!" Reluctantly, the Slytherins sunk into their seats, glaring at her. Lily then turned to Snape. "Severus, please inform Mr. Black that he has detention all of next week for his failure to attend the meeting without a satisfactory reason. Also, twenty points will be removed from Slytherin for foul language."

"You can't do that!" Bellatrix Black exclaimed, standing up angrily. 

"I believe that I can, Miss Black," Lily replied coolly, although her blood was boiling. How _dare_ they question her authority? She was _Head Girl_, for Merlin's sake! "Head Students are allowed to deduct points. Now sit down and control yourself, or I will make it fifty." With a glower, Bellatrix sat down, muttering furiously to the Slytherins around her. 

"Did I not tell you to be quiet?" Lily demanded harshly. The Slytherins immediately stopped talking. "This meeting is adjourned; we will have another meeting at the same time next week. You are dismissed." The students began to file out, subdued, when she called out, "And Rosier?" Evan Rosier, the Sixth Year Slytherin Prefect, turned around. "A week's detention, and you are on probation. I shall speak to Professor Malotier tomorrow about this." Rosier sneered, but said nothing as he left the room. Finally, only Lily, James, and Remus were left. Lily sighed heavily, sinking into her chair and rubbing her temples.

"You handled that well, Lily," Remus told her quietly.

"Thank you, Remus," she said, looking up. She then glanced over at James, who was scowling, and Remus caught her meaning.

"I'll just…er…go and let you two be," he said, departing hastily. As soon as the door closed behind him, James turned to Lily.

"Why'd you stop me?" he demanded angrily. "I was going to hex that bastard for calling you a—a—you-know-what!" Lily sighed again.

"I thought you'd grown up enough to not rise to the Slytherins' name-calling," she rebuked him. "I've told you before, and I'll tell you again: _I don't need you to defend me from them_. I can fight my own battles, James. If you just do everything for me, it'll look like a sign of weakness, and the Slytherins will pounce on it, saying that I'm unfit to be Head Girl. Neither you, nor I, can afford to lose our temper; it's just another strike against us! Don't you understand? We have to set an example, and if you go around hexing everyone who uses the word 'Mudblood'"—James flinched—"you're only showing that you think violence is the only way to solve the problem. That's _not_ setting a good example!"

"Do you ever think about anything _besides_ setting a good example and not besmirching your perfect record?" James asked, throwing up his hands in a combined gesture of frustration and anger. "So what if I want to protect you? So what if I want to show you how to have a good time? I'm sorry for bloody caring about you enough to want to bloody help!"

"Language, James," Lily chided him. Her comment only incensed his anger.

"I'll talk however I bloody well feel like!" he exclaimed. "You're so…so…_aggravating!_"

"Well, excuse me for taking my job seriously," Lily said curtly. "_Someone_ has to set an example here, and as you aren't doing a very good job here, the responsibility falls to me." She stood, collecting her belongings. "I suggest you find some way of cooling your temper, or I may have to speak with Professor McGonagall about putting you on probation."

"What?" James spluttered. "You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will," Lily replied calmly. "Have a good evening, James." She closed her eyes briefly, suddenly ashamed of her anger, but did not say anything. With a light sigh, she started to walk out, but stopped as James called out to her.

"Lily?" he asked.

"Yes?" She turned around to face him. 

"I'm sorry," he apologized, unable to bear the thought of her being mad at him. _You fancy her_, an annoying little voice in the back of his head—which sounded remarkably like Sirius—told him as he wondered why he felt that he had to apologize.

"It's all right," Lily said, smiling at him. "I'm sorry, too—I guess I was a bit harsh with you. Truce?" She held out her hand to James. He stood up, walked over to her, and shook her proffered hand, grinning at her.

"Truce," he agreed. "And I'll try to keep my temper in check."

"Counting to ten usually helps," Lily suggested with a smile.

"Thanks, I'll remember that," he said, returning her grin. "Oh, and about helping you with Transfiguration tomorrow—d'you still need help?" Lily nodded.

"Uh-huh," she answered. "I don't really get Human Transfiguration, and the only reason I'm even getting _E_s is because you help me every Saturday. You're really good at explaining things…" She trailed off. 

"Thanks, I guess," James said, rubbing the back of his neck, which had turned slightly red with embarrassment. "Anyways, we can't do it tomorrow—there's the Quidditch game, and then the party afterwards." He looked Lily directly in the eye, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "You _are _going to the game, aren't you?"

"Of course," she said, offended that he would doubt her loyalty to Gryffindor. "Gryffindor-Slytherin, right?"

"That's _always_ the opening game for every season," James agreed. "So you'll be there?"

"Yes," Lily replied. She glanced at her watch. "And I'm sorry, but I have to skedaddle; I usually help Dorcas with Potions around now. I'll see you later, James."

"Wait!" James said. "I'll come with you." He grabbed his bag and walked with Lily out of the room. "So, can we meet on Sunday instead of tomorrow?"

"Sure," Lily answered. "And we'll finish planning the Hallowe'en Feast then. All right?"

"Fine with me," James said. "I still think we should have sweets instead of the regular desserts."

"Are you nuts?" Lily laughed. "You know how Sirius is—none of us will get any sleep if he even _touches_ a Chocolate Frog!" James grinned.

"You wouldn't even agree to it if I got Muggle sweets?"

"How would you get Muggle sweets?"

"Easy. Go to Hogsmeade."

"James, Honeydukes doesn't sell Muggle sweets."

"I could ask Dumbledore; he seems to love those sherbet lemons."

"Somehow, I doubt that he'll have any."

"Look," James said, frustrated with Lily's constant rebuttals of his ideas, "I promise I'll get Muggle sweets _somehow_ if you just let us have sweets instead of the desserts."

"Promise you won't do anything illegal?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," James swore, crossing his heart solemnly with his right hand, his left hidden behind his back. Lily deftly reached out and pulled his left hand into plain view and laughed as his face fell; his fingers were crossed.

"Your heart's not all you crossed," she said, dropping his arm. "Promise? And keep your hands where I can see them," she added as an afterthought. James' stuck out his tongue out her and she returned the gesture.

"Fine," he conceded. "I promise." He held out his hands to her, palms facing up. "See? I'm not crossing my fingers this time!"

"All right," Lily smiled. "Go ahead. But if Sirius keeps us up all night, then I'm holding you responsible. Got that?"

"Loud and clear," James agreed. He looked up as Lily stopped and realized that they had reached the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked regally.

"Finkletop," Lily said clearly. 

"Yes, indeed, dear!" the Fat Lady replied. The portrait swung open and Lily turned to James.

"What possessed you to come up with that password?" she demanded. 

"What, you don't like it?" James asked in confusion. 

"It's so…abnormal," Lily replied. "Where did you come up with it?"

"Sirius called Grindylows 'finkletops' when he was high on sugar one day," James explained as they crawled through the Portrait Hole. "Even though it made absolutely no sense, I thought that it was pretty funny, and you have to admit that no one's going to say _that_ randomly."

"I guess not," she sighed, entering the Common Room and looking around. "There's Dorcas," she said, indicating her black-haired friend, who was seated in front of the fire. "I'll see you later, James."

"Yeah, later, Lily," James echoed. She smiled at him before turning around and walking over to her friend. James watched her go before turning around and walking to the corner in which his own friends were sitting.

"So, how was the Prefect meeting?" Sirius asked, eager to find out how James had reacted to Remus' "prank"; the latter had been unwilling to disclose any details.

"It was a nightmare," James groaned, dropping into a chair and covering his face with his hands. "First, your brother didn't show up, then Snivellus called Lily a—a—you-know-what, and _then_, when I got mad on her behalf, she exploded at me!" He shook his head, uncovering his face and looking at his friends. "I don't get her."

"But she didn't look like she was mad at you," Peter pointed out, looking puzzled.

"Oh, we apologized to each other," James explained.

"Ah," Sirius nodded in understanding. "So, Jamesie, ready for the Quidditch game tomorrow?"

"Of course," James said. "And don't call me Jamesie," he added. "I thought I told you that."

"You only told me not to call you Prongsie," Sirius said.

"Padfoot, stop splitting hairs," Remus said absently from where he was sitting, poring over his Defense Against the Dark Arts text.

"I'll split hairs if I want to," Sirius argued, folding his arms across his chest. He then looked pensive. "How do you split hairs, anyways?" The other three boys shook their heads. "What? What did I say?" Sirius asked, looking around at his friends.

"Padfoot, you're hopeless," Remus stated.

"I agree," James declared, pulling out his old and extremely battered copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ and a sheet of parchment covered with squiggles, spreading it on the table in front of him. Sirius, realizing that the fun was over, turned back to his copy of _Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and much, much more)_, trying to plot out a prank to play on the Slytherins the following day.

"What's that?" Peter asked, looking over at James' parchment.

"Game strategies for tomorrow," James said, not looking up as he tapped his wand on the parchment, causing the lines on it to move. 

"It just looks like a bunch of squiggles to me," Peter said, squinting. James looked up at his friend in shock. 

"Just a bunch of squiggles? _Just a bunch of squiggles?_ Wormtail, this planning could be what wins or loses us the game!"

"Well, I'm sor-_ry_ for insulting your squiggles," Peter said, slightly irritated as he turned back to his Herbology textbook and started muttering under his breath as he scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment. The four boys worked in relative silence, punctuated by an occasional groan from Peter or a maniacal laugh from Sirius (which terrified his other friends), until James looked at his watch. 

"Merlin, is that the time?" he exclaimed, jumping up and putting his belongings away. "Team! Bed!" he called, walking up the stairs. The other six members of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team complained loudly, but walked up to their respective dorms. As James got himself ready for bed, he thought of the upcoming Quidditch match and, for the first time since Second Year, felt slightly nervous, and wondered why. Dismissing it as nothing, he climbed into his four-poster and closed the drapes (Sirius had tried to charm them to stay open again, but every time he did so, James just performed a _finite incantatem_, and the former had just decided to give up after about thirty tries), a niggling voice at the back of his head telling him that he had forgotten something. He quashed it ruthlessly and turned over, falling asleep almost instantly with a slight dread of the next day, which would bring with it his (hopefully) last Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch game. 

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**A/N: **40 Reviews? FORTY? *Faints* *Is revived* Wow! I can't believe this…I feel so special and loved! Anyways, here are my thank-yous to those wonderful people who left me a review:

**child-of-scorpio:** Ooh, a long review! Granted, it's full of one-liners, but it's still long! Yay! Lol. And I get a virtual plaque with a cheesey smiley face on it, saying "Congratulations! You've just been awarded the Best Staying In Character When Friends Award"? Wow. Do I get to make an acceptance speech, and everything? Just in case, I'll write it right now; how does this sound? "I would like to thank child-of-scorpio and the Fanfiction Academy for this award, but some thanks must be made. First of all, I'd like to thank my beta, angelgurl161, without whom my grammar/spelling mistakes would run amok. And I'd also like to thank the characters themselves, for making themselves so moldable. And I'd like to thank J.K. Rowling for making the Harry Potter books, without whom none of this would be possible. And—" *burly men come in and haul Eos off* Sorry. Regaining control of my sanity now. (Little voice in the back of her head: "What sanity?" Rest of her: "Piss off!" *little voice retreats into the far corner of her head*) I'm glad you loved the little "Your eyes turn dark green when you're sad…" thing; it was one of the few things I've liked about this story. Sorry; I have a very negative opinion for my writing, which always pisses my friends off. Oh, well. Can't please everyone. And I'm sorry this chapter took so long; first spring break ended, then winter break hit, then a schoolmate died, and now I think I may have carpal tunnel syndrome…you can kind of see that I pushed myself to finish it. And you should thank angelgurl161 for that; she's the one who pushed me to get off of my duff and keep updating. And do me a favor: PLEASE update "The Truth of the Heart"! I'm dying for a new chapter! Anyways…thanks for reviewing!

**FrightninglyObsessed:** I was joking about scolding you about singing the pub song. I think it's fun, too…And I'm glad you like Lily; the more I write her, the more I realize that she's kind of like me…*big red light flashes and loud siren sounds* MARY-SUE ALERT! MARY-SUE ALERT! ALL REAL CHARACTERS TO THEIR POSITIONS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE MARY-SUE! Lol, I'm just joking. But I guess she's the kind of person I always wanted to be…not to mention that she can do magic…Thanks for reviewing!

**hitchcock:** Thanks!

**angelgurl161:** I corrected my mistake. *points at top of screen* See? See? I'm terrified of the chopsticks *shies away* please don't use them on me…Please? Lol. I'm glad you like the chapter, and James is MINE! You can take the one in your story, but the James in my story is MINE! I'M going to marry him, not you! So there! *sticks out tongue* I'm sorry if I caused any "accidental deaths" due to the lateness of the chapter, but you know of the extenuating circumstances surrounding the writing of this chapter. Lol. Three cheers? Please calm yourself, Savi. I'm worrying for your sanity. (Saruni: "What sanity?" Inruni: "AAAAH! SARUNI! GET BACK IN THE CORNER! NOW!" *Saruni slumps back into corner, not wanting to have a close encounter with death again…*) Oh, well. We're both crazy; I guess it evens out. Sort of…Lol. Thanks, as always, for beta-ing, and for reviewing!

**Lil Miss Potter:** If you want to read some really great Lily and James stories, there are a lot of really good ones on my profile, under "Favorite Stories". Check them out; you may find ones you like! And I hope you liked this chapter; it's the longest one yet! Thanks!

**jessisayzz:** Thanks!

**MuGgLeNeT27:** My friend has an evil piano teacher, too. I've promised to give her an alibi should she ever kill her…Lol. Thanks!

**freelancer: **Thanks!

**Tanydwr:** Lol, I like "cherry bomb" better, too. But "telephone" is the kind of practical thing that Lily would do…Lol. My pedantic nature regarding anything grammar, spelling, and details annoys my friends to no end, but…it's an essential part of me; I wouldn't give it up for anything. And I did read your fanfic…I'm sorry I didn't review, but I didn't have time…Sorry. Thanks for reviewing!

**Musicizdbest:** Thanks!

**Gizelle:** Thanks!

**vamperfly:** You're adding this to your favorites list? Aww, thanks. *blushes* Thanks for reviewing!

**Angel Enchantress:** Kissing and "stuff" will probably come later; as I've mentioned, Lily is a bit insecure about relationships, but it WILL come, I promise. Thanks!

**LJstagflower4e/JCtigerwolf4e:** It was perfect? I'm glad you think so! Thanks!

**SoulAvenger:** Really? You're a Sirius person? Personally, I prefer Remus to the rest of the Marauders; there's just something about him…and then James, and then Sirius, and then (pre-going over to Voldemort) Peter. (After going over to Voldemort, he doesn't even count as a Marauder.) Anyways, thanks!

**Lil Bazza:** Thanks!

**Agloechen:** Massage? Maybe…That's a pretty good idea. I may use it…And I'm sorry this took so long, but circumstances were against me…Anyways, thanks for reviewing!

**Tracey:** Thanks!

**Laurana Starbreeze: **Lily strikes me as being the kind of person who _hates_ hot pink and would never wish such a color upon even her worst enemies. So, I think she likes blue better…And I'm glad you liked both Chapters 6 and 7; thanks!

**sweetthing131:** Lol. Lily reminds you of me? *big red light starts flashing and loud siren wails* MARY-SUE ALERT! MARY-SUE ALERT! ALL REAL CHARACTERS TO THEIR POSITIONS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE MARY-SUE! Lol; I'm just joking. Anyways, I'm glad you like it; thanks!

**Wind Whisperer:** Yes, I love fluff too…thanks!

**artichoke:** Lily kissing James because she trusts him? Hmm…I think you have a good idea there. Might use it; might not. Thanks!

**kittygirl220:** Thanks!

**J.E.A.R.K. Potter (Erin):** Thanks!

**jamesdeprived:** I'm not telling you if Lily's falling for James yet…you'll find out in good time. And James is a coward, so we just need his friends to make sure that he asks her out…Lol. Thanks!

**ArianaEvans:** Long review! Yay! Yes, romance IS in the air…sort of. Lol. I'm glad that you liked the chapter, and I don't think I'd want them to be really sappy and not fight at all…I'd just gag. And then gag. And then gag some more. Lol. "Hallowe'en" is the British spelling of Halloween; while I'm not British, I try to keep with some of the things in the books. And I own the British copies of the 1st 4 books, and I've grown so used to reading "Hallowe'en" that now "Halloween" looks weird. I'm glad you like the "make-you-grin-inside-crush-feeling moments"; I do, too! And I put in the Lily-walking-up-on-Marlene-and-surprising-her scene JUST for your benefit…Lol. Yeah, I agree that Lily worries too much; James is going to have his work cut out for him to keep her from worrying so much…and you're starting to see more conflict, even though I myself don't like it, but we _do_ have to remember that not everything in the wizarding world is all hunky-dory…And with Petunia, I won't say anything but this: We'll definitely be seeing more of her, especially around Christmas. Yes, James will finally ask Lily out some day (hopefully; even _I_ don't know…maybe it'll be the other way around!) Thanks for all the lovely, lovely compliments; they're the reason I keep writing this! Thank you so much!

**Luvharrypotter712:** Thanks!

**MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus:** Thanks!

**jess131346:** Hmm…8 cookies for this one, because it's chapter 8? Lol. Thanks!

**natlie: **Yeah, it is a bit late to add another guy to Lily's romantic life (to make one a big part, anyway) but I _may_ bring in various figures who incite James' jealousy…not saying anything at this point. Thanks!

**LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR:** Lol. Actually, I am writing a book…but it isn't finished. And I _did_ put in more fighting this chapter, if you noticed…and you spelled "entertaining" right, don't worry. Thanks!

**yeoldecrazy1:** Thanks!

**Pigwidgeon188:** Thanks!

**PhoenixTears13:** I'm glad you liked the Prologue; however, I do not feel that a script format is proper for my writing style. I'm sorry you feel that there is too much dialogue, but if you look closely at the dialogue, it gives you enough about the characters and their personalities, I think. I also feel that dialogue is my strong point, hence, I tend to write more dialogue than descriptions. And regarding your comments about Sirius and James, I agree that yes, they is a bit out of canon, but I like them the way I wrote them. And one point to remember: this is FANfiction, where we can take the characters and situations made by other authors and put our own spin on them, making them our own. I appreciate your opinions, but must say that I like my story the way it is and have no desire to change it. Thanks for your comments.

**Autumn Amethyst:** I often say that the best writers hate their work. Not that I'm saying that I'm a good writer, or anything, but I've noticed that some of my friends have negative opinions of their work, which is usually brilliant. I'm glad you like the characters; and as for the grammar and spelling, I'm a pedant about that. I can't _stand_ it when anything is incorrect grammar- or spelling-wise, so I guess it reflects in my writing. And, of course, having a beta always helps. Lol. Trig homework? I feel your pain. As for Lily and James, to tell you the truth, one half of me is yelling at me to make them get together NOW, but I usually manage to quash it with the other half, and will wait a bit longer…Yeah, Lily is my second-favorite character of mine (after Dorcas…she just makes me crack up), and I'm glad you like her, too. She's like Ginny? I never thought of that, but now, as I look back through the story (and read a few Ginny/Draco fics…for some inexplicable reason, I'm drawn to them, even though I know it's never going to happen, and that Ginny/Harry fics are more likely…), I realize that she _is._ I never realized that…Lol. And you're a _much_ better author than I am (and then you say that I'm better, and then I say that you're better, and then we just keep on going on in an endless cycle), so don't worry about it. I really do love your story. Thanks!

**Julia:** Lol. You were really mad at me when you wrote that first sentence, weren't you? Lol. I'm glad you like it, but I can't put it into _Prisms_; that's for original work, and I highly doubt that anyone is going to consider fanfiction as original. And "MISBEGOTTEN FOOL" IS MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T STEAL IT!!!!!!!!!!!! (Or if you do, at least put ©Runi after it.) Lol. Lily's annoying? You'll have to explain that to me…You'll smack me? Heaven forbid. I'm quaking in my pink butterfly slippers (yes, I do have pink butterfly slippers). Lol. Thanks!

**SaMBraT:** You'd better update "A Reason In Madness" soon; it's so good! Thanks for reviewing!

**HPPhoenix07:** Thanks!

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**A/N:** And that's all for now; again, I'd like to thank and apologize to my beta angelgurl161 for her wonderful beta-ing; without her, this chapter would have been _much_ harder to read. Also, regarding my next update, I'm unsure of when it will be, because I have lots of work, and I think I sprained my wrist (I'm currently writing this with a wrist brace on), so it's kind of hard to type…Anyways, until next time, and remember to click on that little button down at the bottom of the screen and review! They really do make me write faster…

~Eos


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